Welcome to the NHL Star Energy Index: A weekly gauge of the gamers who’re controlling substantial buzz across the league. When a participant is included on this listing it might not be factor — it signifies that they’re capturing a considerable amount of the hockey world’s consideration.
These gamers are in no specific order in terms of the quantity of buzz that they are creating. We’ll revisit the Star Energy Index each week all through the common season.
Kirill Kaprizov is definitely one of many extra elite playmakers in the entire NHL. As of late, the Minnesota Wild star has been placing the puck within the internet at a excessive stage.
Kaprizov has racked up 4 objectives and two assists in his final 4 video games, and has scored a objective in 4 of his final six contests. On Tuesday, the Wild winger turned in a two-goal efficiency in a 4-2 win towards the St. Louis Blues.
Kaprizov additionally has tallied 13 factors (six objectives & seven assists), whereas recording a minimum of one level in every of his final seven contests.
In Tuesday’s recreation, the Blues and Wild have been deadlocked at 1-1 after exchanging objectives over the primary two intervals. That is when Kaprizov was capable of give his staff a short benefit over their Western Convention counterparts.
On the 6:07 mark of the ultimate interval, Wild defenseman Jake Middleton was capable of hold the puck within the offensive zone. Middleton was then capable of skate his approach in direction of the online earlier than letting go of a wrist shot that Kaprizov was capable of tip previous Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington.
Kaprizov additionally added an empty-net objective that put the competition out of attain within the last 90 seconds. It marked the Wild star’s fourth multi-goal displaying of the season.
The Wild ahead has been unimaginable environment friendly up thus far. Kaprizov is scoring on 22.0% of his pictures and his 59 pictures are second on the staff behind solely Matt Boldy.
Kaprizov is at the moment on tempo for 150 factors (59 objectives & 91 assists). Clearly, that may shatter his career-high in factors (108) if he got here anyplace near these type numbers, so it is secure to say that he is at the moment within the Hart Trophy dialog. Whereas this tempo might not be sustainable, Kaprizov is doing his finest to push the Wild in direction of a playoff berth.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been with out star ahead Auston Matthews in current weeks. Consequently, they’ve wanted to rely a few of their different star gamers to hold the offensive load, together with proficient winger Mitch Marner.
Regardless of not having Matthews within the lineup, the Maple Leafs have put collectively a really spectacular stretch that features six wins throughout their final seven video games. Marner has been a heavy producer throughout that particular stretch as he is tallied two objectives and 4 assists in his final three video games.
Marner even had a aptitude for the dramatic within the Maple Leafs’ 4-3 additional time win towards the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
With the sport tied at 3-3 in additional time, the Oilers dynamic duo of Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid have been trying to place the sport away. As an alternative, a Draisaitl cross was blocked by the Maple Leafs protection, and it was off to the races the opposite approach.
Marner was capable of scoop up the free puck and launched into a two-on-one with teammate John Tavares. As an alternative of passing the puck, Marner elected to maintain it and snapped a shot previous goaltender Stuart Skinner’s blocker for the game-winning objective.
The sport-winner additionally allowed Marner to achieve a milestone because it was the two hundredth profession objective for the Maple Leafs star. In doing so, Marner turned simply the sixteenth participant in franchise historical past to achieve the 200-goal mark.
Marner additionally tallied a two-assist efficiency in a 3-0 win towards the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday. The Maple Leafs ahead earned the first assists on two Toronto objectives, together with a William Nylander tally that got here on the power-play.
This can be a large season for Marner, who shall be an unrestricted free agent this summer time. Marner is having a particularly productive marketing campaign on the proper time as he leads the Maple Leafs in factors (26) and assists (20). Toronto may have Marner’s productive to proceed to be at an elite stage if Matthews stays out of the lineup for the foreseeable future.
Zach Werenski put collectively a historic efficiency within the Columbus Blue Jackets’ 7-6 additional time win towards the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.
Werenski tied a franchise file for factors in a recreation (5) and in addition turned the primary Blue Jackets defenseman to recorded a five-point efficiency. He turned the primary Blue Jackets to have a five-point recreation since Johnny Gaudreau completed the feat on March 14, 2023.
Werenski additionally turned the primary defenseman to rack up 5 factors in a recreation this season, which is a feat that was solely completed by 4 blue-liners a 12 months in the past.
The Blue Jackets star registered two objectives and three assists towards the Lightning, together with scoring the game-winning objective in additional time.
Simply 1:26 into additional time, Blue Jackets ahead Cole Sillinger was capable of cross the puck over to Werenski from the face-off circle within the offensive zone. Upon getting the puck on his stick, Werenski skated his approach into the slot and ripped a scorching shot previous Lightning goaltender Jonas Johansson to win the sport.
The Blue Jackets defenseman additionally tallied the first help on each of ahead Kent Johnson’s objectives all through Thursday’s contest. He additionally earned a secondary help on a Dmitri Voronkov objective early within the second interval.
Getting into Friday, Werenski is tied for second within the league in factors (19) amongst defensemen, whereas rating second in objectives (6). Werenski is at the moment on a four-game level streak, and he is tallied three objectives and 6 assists over that stretch. Thursday’s recreation additionally was his second multi-point efficiency over the past 4 contests.
Werenski continues to be a stabilizing presence on the again finish for a Blue Jackets staff that’s solely three factors out of a Wild Card spot early on this season. If this kind of manufacturing continues, maybe a return to the postseason might be a real risk.
The Buffalo Sabres try to be a extra constant hockey staff after a tough begin to the season. Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen helps to make that ambition turn out to be a actuality along with his play within the crease.
Most lately, Luukkonen tallied a shutout in a 1-0 win towards the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday. Luukkonen ended up turning apart all 23 pictures that he confronted to earn his first shutout of the season.
Following his win towards Los Angeles, Luukkonen has improved his file to 4-0-1 throughout his final 5 outings.
Luukkonen has supplied an abundance of consistency in between the pipes in current weeks. Throughout the month of November, the Sabres netminder has compiled a 4-1-0 file, a 1.76 goals-against-average, and a .935 save share in six begins.
The Sabres rewarded Luukkonen with a five-year, $23.75 million contract extension this previous summer time, which carries a $4.75 million average-annual-value. If Luukkonen can proceed can produce within the crease, the Sabres definitely could have discovered their netminder of the longer term.
