Welcome to the NHL Star Power Index: A weekly gauge of the gamers who’re controlling substantial buzz across the league. When a participant is included on this checklist it will not be factor — it implies that they’re capturing a considerable amount of the hockey world’s consideration.
These gamers are in no explicit order in the case of the quantity of buzz that they are creating. We’ll revisit the Star Power Index each week all through the common season.
Connor McDavid continues to place collectively a season for the ages.
In Monday’s 5-4 win over the Arizona Coyotes, McDavid tallied an help on a first-period purpose from teammate Zach Hyman and in doing so, reached the 140-point mark for the 2022-23 season. The Edmonton Oilers star turned the tenth completely different participant in NHL historical past to rack up 140 factors in a single season and the primary since Pittsburgh Penguins legend Mario Lemieux (161 factors in 1995-96) to realize the feat.
McDavid additionally turned the seventh completely different participant to attain not less than 60 objectives and dish out not less than 80 assists in a season. Lemieux was additionally the most recent to succeed in that plateau.
Entering Thursday, McDavid’s 140 factors rank because the ninth-most in a single season in franchise historical past. The Oilers middle trails Wayne Gretzky by 9 factors for the No. 8 spot on the checklist, which Gretzky achieved in the course of the 1987-88 marketing campaign.
McDavid’s 143 factors at the moment lead all the NHL, and he has a large benefit on the likes of teammate Leon Draisaitl (116), Tampa Lightning ahead Nikita Kucherov (104), Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak (98) and Florida Panthers ahead Matthew Tkachuk (97).
McDavid is at the moment on tempo for 156 factors (66 objectives, 90 assists). If that is what the Oilers star finishes with within the common season, he may have recorded the Thirteenth-most factors in a single season in NHL historical past, whereas additionally passing Gretzky (who seems on the checklist a number of instances) for the eighth-most in Oilers historical past.
The Minnesota Wild are combating for first place atop the Central Division with the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars because the common season winds down. Star winger Matt Boldy is a purpose why they’re in that place.
On Monday, Boldy registered his third profession hat trick to assist the Wild defeat the Seattle Kraken, 5-1. Boldy scored his third purpose simply 50 seconds into the third interval.
It additionally marked the second hat trick for Boldy in his final six video games, as he additionally tallied a three-goal efficiency in a 5-3 win in opposition to the Washington Capitals again on March 19. At simply 21, it was a really spectacular accomplishment for Boldy. Only Marian Gaborik recorded extra hat methods (5) than Boldy on the age of 21 or youthful in franchise historical past.
Over his final six contests, Boldy has scored a mind-boggling 9 objectives and has led the Wild to wins in 5 of these video games. Boldy has additionally registered three multi-goal video games throughout that stretch.
In simply his second NHL season, Boldy has develop into an enormous offensive producer for the Wild, particularly within the second half of the season. As the Wild try and win the Central Division for the primary time in franchise historical past, Boldy should proceed to place the puck within the internet if Minnesota desires to make {that a} actuality.
There’s only a few groups which have been on extra of a roll than the Los Angeles Kings as the ultimate weeks of the common season arrive. Prior to Tuesday’s 2-1 loss by the hands of the Calgary Flames, the Kings have been using a 12-game level streak with solely two losses throughout that span.
Kings ahead Viktor Arvidsson has thrived in the course of the crew’s stellar stretch. He’s scored objectives in 4 of his final six video games, together with in three of his final 4 contests. The Kings winger lately recorded back-to-back multi-goal video games, which resulted in Kings’ wins in opposition to the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues this previous weekend.
In Sunday’s 7-6 win in opposition to the Blues, Arvidsson scored each of his objectives within the opening interval.
Before the primary interval was even full, Arvidsson had registered three factors after he additionally picked up an help on one other power-play purpose courtesy of fellow winger Alex Iafallo.
Arvidsson at the moment ranks tied for first in power-play objectives (9), third in objectives (24), third in photographs (202), fourth in factors (53) and fifth in assists (29) in the case of the Kings’ stats. Since becoming a member of the Kings following a commerce with the Predators within the 2021 offseason, Arvidsson has actually develop into an offensive asset in Los Angeles.
It’s virtually as if Linus Ullmark wasn’t met to come across any sort of adversity this season. The Boston Bruins goaltender continues to be a brick wall in internet, and is enjoying some super hockey because the Stanley Cup Playoffs get nearer and nearer.
In 45 video games, Ullmark has tallied a 36-5-1 file along with a 1.92 goals-against-average, a .937 save share and two shutouts. To make these numbers much more spectacular, Ullmark has allowed only one purpose in every of his final three begins because the Bruins lately clinched the Atlantic Division title.
Over these final three begins, Ullmark has registered a mind-boggling .967 save share after stopping 87 of the final 90 photographs that he is confronted. Most lately, the 29-year-old keeper turned apart 21 of the 22 photographs that have been despatched in his course in a 2-1 loss in opposition to the Nashville Predators.
According to Money Puck, Ullmark owns a .966 save share when going through unblocked photographs on the season. In addition, he has 319 puck freezes to his credit score, so he isn’t permitting many second-chance alternatives when the opposing crew has the puck in deep. It’s clearly a foregone conclusion that Ullmark is probably going going to win the Vezina Trophy as the highest goaltender within the league this season. That’s not shocking when his goals-against-average has been underneath 2.00 all through the marketing campaign.
