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 is probably not a very good factor — it implies that they’re capturing a considerable amount of the hockey world’s consideration.
These gamers are in no specific order relating to the quantity of buzz that they are creating. We’ll revisit the Star Power Index each week all through the common season.
One of the most important storylines at first of this season was whether or not or not the Chicago Blackhawks would commerce star winger Patrick Kane. That lastly got here to a decision earlier this week because the Blackhawks moved Kane to the New York Rangers for a conditional 2023 second-round choose and a 2023 fourth-round choose.
On Thursday, Kane made his Rangers debut in a 5-3 Rangers loss towards the Ottawa Senators. Kane didn’t recored a degree, however registered 4 shots-on-goal in 19:36 of ice time. He was reunited with former Blackhawks teammate Artemi Panarin as he skated on the Rangers’ second line with Panarin and heart Vincent Trocheck.
“My first recreation as a Ranger was a fairly cool expertise,” Kane stated after the loss. “Obviously, I might’ve preferred to play a little bit bit higher and are available out with the win. But hopefully it’s going to come. I have never performed in a little bit bit. Maybe a little bit bit rusty.”
Prior to his arrival in New York, Kane was taking part in a few of his greatest hockey of the season. Entering Thursday, Kane had a four-game level streak and scored seven targets throughout that stretch. During his remaining recreation with the Blackhawks, the 34-year-old star scored a pair of targets and registered an help in a 4-3 win towards the Dallas Stars on Feb. 22.
In anticipation of the approaching commerce, Kane left the workforce’s highway journey and sat out till Tuesday’s commerce was made official.
The Rangers now discover themselves in a really sturdy place following the commerce deadline. The workforce was capable of purchase each Vladimir Tarasenko and Kane with out parting with any of its younger nucleus of Filip Chytil, Kaapok Kaako, or Alexis Lafreniere. In a seven-game playoff collection, there’s going to be only a few groups that can be capable of decelerate an offensive group that’s that deep.
The Buffalo Sabres have not certified for the postseason for the reason that 2010-11 marketing campaign, however Tage Thompson is sort of single-handedly trying to vary the franchise’s fortunes. Entering Friday, the Sabres presently sit simply 4 factors out of the second Wild Card spot within the Eastern Conference with 66 factors. The workforce has gained three of its final 5 video games and Thompson’s stellar play has been chargeable for the current surge.
Thompson has recorded a degree in seven of his final eight video games and has scored at the very least one aim in three of his final 5 contests. Over these final 5 video games, the Sabres star has tallied 5 targets and three assists, together with a hat trick efficiency in a 6-5 extra time win towards the Tampa Bay Lightning final Thursday.
It marked Thompson’s NHL-leading fourth hat trick of the season.
As if the hat trick efficiency weren’t spectacular sufficient, Thompson has scored a aim apiece in back-to-back video games towards the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets.
It could solely be 60 video games, however the 25-year-old star has already recorded a brand new career-high level whole (80) with 41 targets and 39 assists. This comes after Thompson registered 68 factors (38 targets, 30 assists) final season in 78 contests.
Thompson was anticipated to develop right into a star, however not one of many league’s largest in such a short while. Now the Sabres heart is likely one of the sport’s most gifted aim scorers and he continues to showcase that potential on a nightly foundation.
It’s been arduous to view the Vezina Trophy dialog as something greater than a one-horse race because the 2022-23 season has progressed. That’s as a result of Linus Ullmark is presently placing collectively a season for the ages.
Ullmark leads the league in wins (31), goals-against-average (1.88) and save proportion (.938). In addition, Ullmark added one other exceptional accomplishment to his lengthy checklist of accolades as he recorded a career-high 54 saves in a 4-3 extra time win towards the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.
Ullmark’s 54 saves had been essentially the most in a daily season recreation by a Bruins goaltender since shots-on-goal started being tracked in the course of the 1955-56 marketing campaign. His 54 saves bested the earlier common season franchise document of 51, which was set by Tim Thomas on in 2007.
Oh, and Ullmark even bought into the scoring act over the previous week. He turned the primary goaltender in franchise historical past to attain a aim and the primary NHL goalie to perform the feat since Jan. 9, 2020 when Nashville Predators netminder Pekka Rinne did it. Check out the spotlight:
All of the sudden, the Ottawa Senators are surging into the playoff race. Claude Giroux has rather a lot to do with that.
He has tallied 10 factors over his final 4 video games en path to a four-game successful streak for the Senators. The veteran ahead has additionally registered factors in seven of his previous eight contests. His most spectacular exhibiting got here in a 6-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday. In that recreation, Giroux scored a aim and dished out three assists to tempo the Ottawa offensive assault.
The Senators are simply 4 factors out of the second Wild Card spot within the Eastern Conference. Since Jan. 25, Ottawa has gained 11 of its final 15 video games to climb within the standings.
On Thursday, the Senators made an enormous splash prior by buying star defenseman Jakob Chychrun from the Arizona Coyotes. Chychrun ought to present some extra assist on the blue line whereas additionally including extra scoring punch to take much more of the strain off of Giroux and firm.
The affect that Giroux has had on the Senators’ locker room cannot be understated. Now Ottawa has an opportunity to return to the postseason for the primary time in six years.
