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 record it is probably not factor — it implies that they’re capturing a considerable amount of the hockey world’s consideration.
These gamers are in no explicit order on the subject of the quantity of buzz that they are creating. We’ll revisit the Star Power Index each week all through the common season.
In a season stuffed with accidents for the Colorado Avalanche, Nathan MacKinnon has proved to be one of many true constants for the defending Stanley Cup champions. Cale Makar, Gabriel Landeskog, and even MacKinnon himself have missed vital time, however MacKinnon has been on fireplace in latest weeks.
In truth, MacKinnon has scored a purpose in seven of his final eight video games for the group.He’s registered a minimum of six shots-on-goal in 4 of these eight contests. MacKinnon recorded a purpose and an help within the Avalanche’s 6-0 win over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.
MacKinnon additionally earned a secondary help on a Nichushkin purpose within the second interval.
The two-point efficiency is simply the newest in a string of multi-point video games for the Avalanche middle. MacKinnon has recorded multi-point video games in eight of his final 12 contests whereas additionally scoring 4 targets in his final 4 video games. MacKinnon is getting scorching on the proper time, because the Avalanche have climbed into the third playoff spot within the Central Division after spending nearly all of the season as a Wild Card contender.
The Boston Bruins made just a few huge strikes on the commerce deadline, together with one for Dmitry Orlov. He has proved to be an enormous supply of offensive manufacturing since arriving in Boston. In 4 video games over the previous week, Orlov has registered three targets and 6 assists. The veteran defenseman has recorded a number of factors in 4 of his 5 video games since being traded to the Bruins.
His most up-to-date exhibiting got here when he tallied a purpose and two assists in a 7-1 Bruins win over the Buffalo Sabres. In doing so, Orlov helped the Bruins change into the quickest group in NHL historical past to achieve the 100-point mark in a season.
With his 9 factors in his first 5 video games with the Bruins, Orlov joined some very elite firm. The solely two defenseman in NHL historical past that registered extra factors of their first 5 contests with a brand new group have been Harry Cameron (15 factors, 1917-18 Toronto Arenas) and Paul Coffey (10 factors, 1992-93 Detroit Red Wings).
The Bruins have been already a pressure to be reckoned with, contemplating that goalie Linus Ullmark has been a brick wall all through the 2022-23 season. However, now Orlov helps to type an especially gifted high defensive pairing with Charlie McAvoy and actually has stabilized the group’s blue line.
If Orlov can proceed to provide at anyplace near this degree offensively, the Bruins could have change into much more harmful than anybody thought was doable.
Jared McCann performed for 3 NHL franchises earlier than touchdown with the Seattle Kraken within the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. He’s discovered a house. For the second consecutive season, McCann has recorded a minimum of 50 factors after having no such seasons like that in his earlier six campaigns as a member of the Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks.
McCann, 26, is on fireplace proper now having tallied a purpose in 4 of his final 5 video games with three multi-point performances throughout that span.
With his most up-to-date two-point efficiency in a 5-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday, McCann made some historical past: he turned the primary Kraken participant to document 100 profession factors with the group. It helped lead the Kraken to their fifth consecutive victory.
McCann is at present on tempo for 67 factors (42 targets, 25 assists) in the course of the 2022-23 season. That would surpass his earlier career-high of fifty factors that he set simply final season.
The Kraken proceed to make a push for the postseason and McCann’s stellar goal-scoring means on the highest line has been an enormous purpose for the group’s success.
It’s been an up-and-down season for Sergei Bobrovsky in between the pipes, however the veteran netminder is having fun with a really sturdy stretch. Over his final 4 begins, the Florida Panthers goaltender has a 3-1-0 document, a 1.25 goals-against-average and a .957 save proportion. Bobrovsky has allowed a grand complete of 5 targets, together with only one purpose in three of these outings.
It was anticipated to be a timeshare between Bobrovsky and 21-year-old keeper Spencer Knight in internet this season. However, Knight has handled accidents and is at present within the NHL/NHLPA participant help program.
In Knight’s absence, Bobrovsky has offered stability within the crease. After having a goals-against-average of a minimum of 3.06 in three of the primary 4 months of the 2022-23 season, Bobrovsky has bounced again in a giant approach.
Most not too long ago, Bobrovsky turned apart 31 of the 32 photographs that he confronted in a 2-1 Panthers’ win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. With only a quarter of the season to go, Bobrovsky’s calming demeanor within the crease goes to be wanted if the Panthers wish to make a cost in the direction of the postseason.
