Welcome to NHL Star Power Index: A weekly gauge of players who command significant buzz in the league. When a player is on this list, it might not be a good thing – it means he’s getting a lot of the hockey world’s attention.
These players aren’t ranked in any particular order when it comes to the buzz they create. We will revisit the Star Power Index each week throughout the regular season.
Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk has only five goals through the first two weeks of the season. His final two weeks, however, showed a return to the elite form that helped lead the Panthers to back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances.
Tkachuk has five goals and six assists in his last four games and recently recorded a streak of six consecutive games with at least one point. The Panthers winger recently put together a two-goal performance in a 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.
Tkachuk actually ended up scoring the game-winning goal against the Sharks, which was the 25th game-winning goal of his career. NHL career.
At 10:05 of the second period, Tkachuk initially threw the puck into the offensive zone. The Sharks were unable to clear the zone and Tkachuk ended up intercepting the puck. Tkachuk showed excellent puck handling skills when he knocked the puck off the shoulder of goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood for a great goal.
Tkachuk’s goal ended up being the winning goal due to the Sharks only being able to put one goal on the board throughout the entire contest.
Since November 23, Tkachuk has scored 19 points (five goals and 12 assists) and has recorded at least one point in seven of nine games. He also had four multi-point performances, including two multi-goal games, during that span.
When the pressure mounts during the playoffs, Tkachuk always seems to take his game to an extremely high level. Over the past few weeks, Tkachuk has done the same and is one of the main reasons why the Panthers lead the Atlantic Division.
When the Philadelphia Flyers selected Matvei Michkov 7th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, it was believed that the franchise would have to be patient since he was still under contract with the Russian Kontinental Hockey League. Even though the wait wasn’t as long as expected, the Flyers still had to remain patient before the cornerstone of their potential franchise came to North America.
Michkov signed his three-year entry-level contract last summer, and it didn’t take long for the winger to demonstrate his star power in the NHL.
Entering Friday, Michkov ranks first among rookies in points (27) and goals (11). He is also second among rookies in assists (16). In fact, the Flyers forward is the only NHL rookie to have already reached double-digit goals this season.
Michkov has two goals and six assists in his last four games. In Saturday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins, Michkov became the third teenager in team history to record three consecutive multi-point games, joining Peter Zezel (1985) and Eric Lindros (1993).
In Saturday’s game against the Bruins, Michkov turned in a two-goal performance, scoring the first two goals of the game.
At 7:24 of the first period, Flyers defenseman Emil Andrae fired a blocked point shot into the slot. Fortunately for the Flyers, forward Sean Couturier managed to recover the loose puck and pass it to Michkov. The Russian certainly did not miss his opportunity by depositing a one-timer into the back of the net for a power play goal.
Michkov also got into the scoring column at the end of the first period when he benefited from a great find from defender Travis Sanheim. The Flyers rookie scored on a bang-bang goal just to the left of Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman to give his team a 2-0 lead at the time.
Through the first two months of the season, it was clear that it was a two-horse race for the Calder Trophy between Michkov and No. 1 pick Macklin Celebrini. Given the pace at which Michkov is developing, the Flyers forward should be considered the clear favorite to win this honor in June.
While Michkov has been the more impressive rookie from an offensive standpoint, Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson has been turning heads on the defensive end of the ice.
Hutson recorded an assist in Monday’s 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks and made history in the process. The 20-year-old defenseman extended his point streak to seven straight games, which is the longest streak for a rookie defenseman in franchise history. Hutson is also one of eight rookie defensemen in NHL history with at least 21 assists in his first 30 career games.
Hutson has eight assists in his last eight games and finally saw his point streak end in Thursday’s 9-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In Monday’s win over the Ducks, Hutson helped start the scoring for the Canadiens.
Just 2:36 into the first period, Hutson was able to pinch the puck along the boards and keep it in the offensive zone. Hutson then fed the puck to teammate Nick Suzuki, who set up off-season acquisition Patrik Laine for the sensational one-timer goal from the faceoff circle.
Hutson has been nothing but a model of consistency recently as he had an assist in four straight games before Thursday. His playmaking skills on the blue line have been a breath of fresh air for a Montreal team that has been in need of an elite defenseman since the departure of Shea Weber.
The Canadiens defenseman ranks second among rookies in points (19), while leading all rookies in assists (21). Hutson continues to provide the offensive support the Canadiens need as they prepare to rebuild their roster.
Adin Hill was an integral part of the Vegas Golden Knights team that won the Stanley Cup in 2023. As the regular season progresses, Hill begins to return to his elite form that made him a force during Vegas’ impressive Stanley Cup run.
Hill has thrived in his last three matches as he has recorded wins in all of those contests. Additionally, the veteran netminder recorded a 1.33 goals-against average and a .955 save percentage during that stretch.
Most recently, Hill provided a stabilizing presence between the pipes in the Golden Knights’ 3-2 overtime win over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. In fact, Hill stopped 18 of the 20 shots the Jets threw at him, including stopping eight of the nine shots he faced in the third period and overtime.
Although Hill has been great over the last three competitions, he has had a pretty successful run over the past month. Hill has allowed two goals or fewer in eight of his last nine games, while even recording a shutout in that span.
The Golden Knights have played Ilya Samsonov quite a bit in the crease this season, but it’s clear that Hill is the number one option in net right now. Considering Hill did it when the lights were brightest, his recent run isn’t really a huge surprise.
