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11. Washington Capitals (10-4-2)
Total points: 72
Last week: No. 11
“Washington has been shopping for a top-six forward since the offseason and that hasn’t changed with its turnaround since going 1-3-1 in its first five games. The Capitals have found ways to win with goaltending and defense, but still need some offensive help, particularly on the power play. Some of that has been from trying to update a power play that grew stale in recent seasons and the players having trouble adapting to the changes made by coach Spencer Carbery and assistant Kirk Muller, who oversees the power play. But the Capitals also could use a forward who can run the top man-advantage unit from right half wall, a spot filled so well for so long by Nicklas Backstrom until a hip injury limited him the past two seasons and caused him to step away from playing eight games into this season.” — Tom Gulitti, staff writer
12. Carolina Hurricanes (11-7-0)
Total points: 66
Last week: No. 10
“The Hurricanes possess star power, depth and a better-than-average defense corps, but the health and consistency of their goaltenders has been the biggest concern. I’d buy that if I could on Black Friday. The fact is Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta each is 34 years old at a position that is unforgiving, and neither appears capable of playing 55-plus games at this point in their careers. I know as a tandem they work well together, but as we’ve seen in the past, the slightest injury or illness may alter that path to success. In fact, the Hurricanes announced Nov. 6 that Andersen would be out indefinitely because of a blood clotting issue, so Raanta will be expected to play the majority of the games for a bit. Meanwhile, Pyotr Kochetkov, 24, has shown promise but has yet to really prove capable of handling a heavier workload.” — Mike G. Morreale, staff writer
13. Tampa Bay Lightning (9-6-5)
Total points: 51
Last week: Unranked
“The easy purchase would be goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, but looking to buy that item would be a waste at this point because they’re going to get him back at his regular rate soon. Vasilevskiy could be ready to come off long-term injured reserve some time in the next week after recovering from back surgery in September. So instead of trying to buy a goalie they’re going to get anyway, the Lightning should be shopping for some scoring depth in their bottom-six forward group. It’ll be hard to get with their salary cap situation, but even just one addition plus a healthy Conor Sheary, who is on injured reserve because of an upper-body injury, will give them more depth than they have now. It’s a lot on the top-six forwards and the Lightning know as well as any team that if you want to go deep in the playoffs you need to have three lines that can score and a fourth that is a threat. They don’t have enough of that now.” — Rosen
14. Philadelphia Flyers (10-8-1)
Total points: 40
Last week: Unranked
“Is there a defenseman who can juice the Flyers power play that is available on the Black Friday market? Because that’s what they need. They need a defenseman that can get shots through from the point but won’t be a liability defending at 5-on-5. Travis Sanheim is playing more than 3:00 per game on the power play and on the penalty kill. If the Flyers can reduce his power-play ice time it’ll help him stay fresh throughout the season. He’s already playing more than 25 minutes per game. I can argue the same for Cam York, who is playing more than 22 minutes per game, including more than 2:00 each on the power play and penalty kill. If they’re serious about making a playoff push the Flyers need to be serious about improving their defensive depth and adding a power-play quarterback at the same time.” — Rosen
15. New Jersey Devils (8-8-1)
Total points: 21
Last week: No. 14
“I’d buy the Devils an alarm clock. They need to wake up and start on time. Too often this season they’ve been playing from behind. They’ve allowed the first goal in 14 of their 17 games. Part of their early-season struggles, which are exacerbated by their high expectations entering the season, have been because they’re chasing games too early. They need to start putting pressure on their opponents early so they can start playing with the lead.” — Rosen
16. Detroit Red Wings (9-6-3)
Total points: 18
Last week: No. 12
“The Red Wings should go back in time and buy the power play they had in their first seven games of the season, when they were 41.4 percent (12-for-29), with Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Larkin each scoring three power-play goals. Things have changed. The power play has dried up, a market correction that was likely but also has gone too far in the wrong direction. They are 3-for-45 on the power play (6.7 percent) in their past 11 games. The Red Wings need to find a happy medium with the power play. It’ll help to offset some of the defensive struggles they’ve also encountered since a hot start.” — Rosen
Others receiving points: St. Louis Blues 13, Pittsburgh Penguins 8, Ottawa Senators 7, Anaheim Ducks 2, Arizona Coyotes 1
Dropped out from last week: Ducks (No. 15), Blues (No. 16)
New Amsterdam Game of the Week
Each week, NHL.com will highlight one game that features two teams in the Super 16. This week, it’s the Boston Bruins against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Saturday (1 p.m. ET; NHLN, NESN, MSG, SN).
Bruins and Rangers at the Garden on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It’s holiday season in New York. The fall weather is crisp. Rockefeller Center is buzzing. And inside the “World’s Most Famous Arena” is an afternoon “Original Six” showdown between the No. 1 and No. 3 teams in this week’s Super 16. Enjoy your turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and whatever else you like on Thursday while you watch football. Get back in the hockey spirit on Friday while doing some shopping and then start an eight-game Saturday slate with two of the best teams in the League. Happy Thanksgiving.
HERE’S HOW WE RANKED ‘EM
AMALIE BENJAMIN
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Los Angeles Kings; 7. Florida Panthers; 8. Vancouver Canucks; 9. Carolina Hurricanes; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Detroit Red Wings; 12. Washington Capitals; 13. Winnipeg Jets; 14. New Jersey Devils; 15. Philadelphia Flyers; 16. Tampa Bay Lightning
BRIAN COMPTON
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Los Angeles Kings; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Florida Panthers; 7. Vancouver Canucks; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. Winnipeg Jets; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Colorado Avalanche; 12. Philadelphia Flyers; 13. Tampa Bay Lightning; 14. Carolina Hurricanes; 15. St. Louis Blues; 16. Ottawa Senators
NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA
1. Boston Bruins; 2. New York Rangers; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Los Angeles Kings; 6. Vancouver Canucks; 7. Florida Panthers; 8. Washington Capitals; 9. Colorado Avalanche; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Winnipeg Jets; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Philadelphia Flyers; 14. Tampa Bay Lightning; 15. St. Louis Blues; 16. Detroit Red Wings
TOM GULITTI
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. New York Rangers; 5. Florida Panthers; 6. Los Angeles Kings; 7. Vancouver Canucks; 8. Colorado Avalanche; 9. Washington Capitals; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Carolina Hurricanes; 12. Winnipeg Jets; 13. Philadelphia Flyers; 14. New Jersey Devils; 15. Tampa Bay Lightning; 16. St. Louis Blues
ADAM KIMELMAN
1. Vegas Golden Knights; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Vancouver Canucks; 5. New York Rangers; 6. Colorado Avalanche; 7. Toronto Maple Leafs; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Florida Panthers; 10. Los Angeles Kings; 11. Carolina Hurricanes; 12. Winnipeg Jets; 13. Philadelphia Flyers; 14. New Jersey Devils; 15. St. Louis Blues; 16. Washington Capitals
MIKE G. MORREALE
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Los Angeles Kings; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. New York Rangers; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Florida Panthers; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Vancouver Canucks; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Washington Capitals; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Winnipeg Jets; 14. St. Louis Blues; 15. Pittsburgh Penguins; 16. Philadelphia Flyers
TRACEY MYERS
1. Boston Bruins; 2. New York Rangers; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Los Angeles Kings; 6. Vancouver Canucks; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Florida Panthers; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Washington Capitals; 11. Winnipeg Jets; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Tampa Bay Lightning; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. Detroit Red Wings; 16. New Jersey Devils
SHAWN P. ROARKE
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. Vancouver Canucks; 4. New York Rangers; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Colorado Avalanche; 7. Toronto Maple Leafs; 8. Los Angeles Kings; 9. Florida Panthers; 10. New Jersey Devils; 11. Winnipeg Jets; 12. Pittsburgh Penguins; 13. Tampa Bay Lightning; 14. Carolina Hurricanes; 15. Washington Capitals; 16. Ottawa Senators
DAN ROSEN
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Vegas Golden Knights; 5. Florida Panthers; 6. Colorado Avalanche; 7. Los Angeles Kings; 8. Vancouver Canucks; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Carolina Hurricanes; 11. Washington Capitals; 12. Winnipeg Jets; 13. Tampa Bay Lightning; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Philadelphia Flyers; 16. Pittsburgh Penguins
DAVID SATRIANO
1. Boston Bruins; 2. New York Rangers; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Vancouver Canucks; 6. Florida Panthers; 7. Los Angeles Kings; 8. Colorado Avalanche; 9. Tampa Bay Lightning; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Winnipeg Jets; 12. Washington Capitals; 13. Carolina Hurricanes; 14. Philadelphia Flyers; 15. New Jersey Devils; 16. Ottawa Senators
PAUL STRIZHEVSKY
1. Boston Bruins; 2. New York Rangers; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Los Angeles Kings; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Vancouver Canucks; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Florida Panthers; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Winnipeg Jets; 11. Washington Capitals; 12. Philadelphia Flyers; 13. Carolina Hurricanes; 14. St. Louis Blues; 15. Detroit Red Wings; 16. Ottawa Senators
DEREK VAN DIEST
1. Boston Bruins; 2. New York Rangers; 3. Vegas Golden Knights; 4. Vancouver Canucks; 5. Los Angeles Kings; 6. Colorado Avalanche; 7. Florida Panthers; 8. Winnipeg Jets; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Philadelphia Flyers; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Detroit Red Wings; 14. Washington Capitals; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Arizona Coyotes
MIKE ZEISBERGER
1. Boston Bruins; 2. Vegas Golden Knights; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Vancouver Canucks; 5. Los Angeles Kings; 6. Dallas Stars; 7. Toronto Maple Leafs; 8. Florida Panthers; 9. Colorado Avalanche; 10. Winnipeg Jets; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Carolina Hurricanes; 13. Washington Capitals; 14. Detroit Red Wings; 15. New Jersey Devils; 16. Philadelphia Flyers
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