The NHL puts out their picks for the “Super 16” power rankings each week. They consider these teams the hottest in the NHL.
Every week I will take the eight teams closest to making the Super 16 cut, plus one bonus team (a team that made the Super 16 that should not have) and tell you what I think they are doing wrong and what they need to do to break into the Super 16.
Here are the team in the order that they missed the Super 16 by:
New Jersey Devils 
WHY DID THEY MISS?
Honestly, this one has me a little unsure. The Devils sit at 12th overall in the NHL and their record the last 10 games is 4-5-1. It isn’t stellar, but they are sitting better than a few of their counterparts that made the cut. Three of those losses came to the Predators, Bruins and Flyers, all very good teams. The only reason they missed is likely due to the fact that they were on a bit of a downward slide when the Super 16 was released.
WHAT CAN THEY CHANGE?
They really need to have Keith Kinkaid step up his game as backup net minder. He has a less than stellar 3.10 GAA and a .896 S%. In addition to that Taylor Hall is leading the team offensively by a great amount. If some of their secondary contributors would step up the team would benefit greatly.
Calgary Flames
WHY DID THEY MISS?
The Flames were the hottest team in the league to start the year off. They had a seven game win streak and an 11 game point streak. Even though they extended their point streak for 11 games they have lost six straight games.
WHAT CAN THEY CHANGE?
The Flames need to learn how to hold a lead. In their last two losses (to the Golden Knights and Lightning) they held a two goal lead at some point in the game. Unforced errors lead to break downs in their defense and ultimately a couple of rough losses. They also need to start winning at home.
Columbus Blue Jackets
WHY DID THEY MISS?
The Blues Jackets’ record the last ten games was 5-4-1, not great, but not too bad. They mostly missed out here due to the fact that a few of their losses the ten games have been to pretty subpar teams (i.e. the Sabres and the Canucks).
WHAT CAN THEY CHANGE?
They need to start beating the easy teams. In addition to that, they need to start beating some of the league leaders as well. They aren’t competing when it counts and it is costing them. Sergei Bobrovsky is playing incredibly well so they need to capitalize on that.
Carolina Hurricanes
WHY DID THEY MISS?
While the Hurricanes are on a three game win streak, they have a deep hole to dig themselves out of. Their record the last ten games is 5-5-0.
WHAT CAN THEY CHANGE?
Their net minders need to both step up. Both Cam Ward and Scott Darling are playing at very average levels. In addition to this they aren’t able to keep up with any of the better teams in the league, and they are losing by too big of margins.
Chicago Blackhawks
WHY DID THEY MISS?
They are sitting at 4-5-1 in their last ten games. They have put the beat down on lesser teams but aren’t able to compete with the top teams in the league.
WHAT CAN THEY CHANGE?
The Blackhawks are surprisingly bad. They have all of the pieces. They are a team of all-stars, but nothing is clicking for them. Once they are able to click at the right time and actually start competing with the better teams in the league maybe they will climb out of this hole. They also need to improve their power play.
Florida Panthers
WHY DID THEY MISS?
They have won two straight but are still just 4-5-1 in the last ten games. Much like the Hurricanes, they are often getting blown out by average teams.
WHAT CAN THEY CHANGE?
The fact that they have both James Reimer and Roberto Luongo and they still aren’t able to have solid goaltending is shocking. Both net minders need to step up.
New York Islanders
WHY DID THEY MISS?
They have two straight losses and a 5-4-1 record their last ten.
WHAT CAN THEY CHANGE?
They are getting pretty solid numbers offensively but they are backstopped by one of the worst goalie combos in the league. Not much more to say there.
Vancouver Canucks
WHY DID THEY MISS?
They have been consistently struggling not only this year but for the past four or five years. They are sitting at 5-5-0 in their last ten.
WHAT CAN THEY CHANGE?
The player with the highest contribution is their rookie, Brock Boeser. The veterans need to step up and start contributing more and leading the team.
BONUS
I don’t think it’s super surprising that the Philadelphia Flyers are the team I think shouldn’t have made the Super 16. They sit below three teams that didn’t make the Super 16 (Devils, Flames and Blue Jackets) and they aren’t even on a hot streak. They have lost three straight and their record the last ten games is 6-4-0, which is fine but still not impressive.
All team logo images courtesy of NHL.com
Featured image courtesy NHL.com
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