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 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 on the subject of the quantity of buzz that they are creating. We’ll revisit the Star Energy Index each week all through the common season.
Evgeni Malkin continues to carry out at an elite degree even within the latter stage of his NHL profession. In reality, the Pittsburgh Penguins star achieved a really vital milestone in Wednesday’s 6-5 additional time win in opposition to the Buffalo Sabres.
In the course of the third interval of Wednesday’s contest, Malkin scored his five hundredth profession objective and was ready to take action in dramatic vogue.
Malkin obtained the puck from Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and his preliminary shot was stopped by the pad of Sabres goaltender Ukko Pekka-Luukkonen. The Penguins ahead stayed with the play and regardless of falling down, nonetheless managed to deposit the rebound into the again of the online.
It was an evening of milestones as Crosby turned the tenth participant in NHL historical past to document 1,600 factors in his NHL profession. Sarcastically sufficient, Malkin assisted on Crosby’s game-winning additional time objective to raise the Penguins to victory.
Malkin joined Mario Lemieux (690) and Crosby (593) as simply the third participant in crew historical past to tally 500 objectives. As well as, Malkin turned simply the eighth participant in NHL historical past that was born exterior of the US or Canada to register 500 profession objectives.
Other than the milestone, Malkin has been on hearth to start the 2024-25 season. The Penguins star has tallied 11 factors (two objectives & 9 assists) within the first 5 video games of the marketing campaign, and achieved much more historical past. Malkin turned the primary Penguins participant to rack up 11 factors within the crew’s first 5 video games of a single season since Lemieux had 4 objectives and 7 assists within the first 5 video games of the 2002-03 season.
Coming into Friday, Malkin is tied for the NHL lead in factors with New York Rangers star Artemi Panarin.
After being held off the rating sheet within the season opener in opposition to the New York Rangers, Malkin has registered a number of factors in every of the final 4 contests. Malkin’s greatest sport was Wednesday’s efficiency in opposition to the Sabres during which he recorded 4 factors (one objective & three assists)
The Penguins are going to want to rely upon their franchise cornerstones in Malkin and Crosby in the event that they wish to make a playoff push this season. Consequently, it is an enormous deal to see Malkin getting off to such a scorching begin.
Sam Reinhart was all the time an especially productive participant throughout his time with the Buffalo Sabres at first of his profession. Since arriving in South Florida, Reinhart has reworked into one of the crucial deadly objective scorers across the NHL.
The Florida Panthers star had a profession yr in 2023-24 during which he tallied 59 objectives and was rewarded with a eight-year, $69 million contract extension over the summer season. Reinhart has picked up proper the place he left off final season after he helped lead the Panthers to their first Stanley Cup in franchise historical past.
Coming into Friday, Reinhart is at present tied for third within the NHL in factors (9) with 4 objectives and 5 assists. The Panthers ahead has registered multi-point performances in three of Florida’s six video games so far.
Reinhart’s most spectacular exhibiting got here in a 4-3 win in opposition to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. The 28-year outdated tallied a objective and two assists in that individual contest and it marked his first three-point efficiency of the younger 2024-25 season.
Reinhart scored his fourth objective of the season in well timed vogue to assist lead the Panthers previous the Blue Jackets.
With simply two seconds remaining within the second interval, Reinhart dumped the puck behind the online to teammate Carter Verhaeghe, and made his approach in direction of the entrance of the online. Reinhart was capable of sneak the puck previous Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins on a bang-bang objective when he obtained the puck again in entrance.
Reinhart continues to thrive as one of many Panthers prime objective scorers. Florida is certainly going to want his scoring manufacturing over the following handful of video games with out Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk within the lineup.
The Calgary Flames have regarded like one of many extra spectacular groups throughout the league within the opening two weeks of the 2024-25 season. Defenseman Rasmus Andersson has been a really large a part of that success.
Andersson has turn out to be the chief of Calgary’s again finish and tallied factors in three of the crew’s first 4 video games. The 27-year outdated blue-liner’s greatest efficiency to this point got here in a 4-1 win in opposition to the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday when he racked up a objective and a pair of assists.
Andersson displayed his large imaginative and prescient on the ice all through Sunday’s sport.
The Flames defenseman carried the puck into the offensive zone and proceeded to weave his approach by way of the Oilers protection like he was Connor McDavid. Ultimately, Andersson was capable of make his approach into the slot and ripped a shot previous Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner to provide the Flames a 2-1 lead on the time.
The veteran defenseman additionally offered secondary assists on objectives from forwards Anthony Mantha and Justin Kirkland within the third interval, which helped the Flames take a commanding benefit in opposition to the Oilers.
Coming into Friday, Andersson’s six factors are second behind solely Cale Makar (8) amongst NHL defensemen. Andersson has continued to become a really robust offensive-minded blue-liner lately, however seeing his imaginative and prescient on full show early within the season has been spectacular to look at.
It is secure to say that Colorado Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev has had a considerable amount of struggles out of the field this season.
In 4 begins to start out off the yr, Georgiev has tallied a 0-3-0 document to associate with a 5.79 goals-against-average and a .800 save proportion. The Avalanche netminder has been pulled in two of these begins and has yielded at the very least 4 objectives in three of these contests.
Georgiev started the season on a bitter observe as he surrendered 5 objectives in simply two durations in opposition to the Vegas Golden Knights. He ended up not taking the ice for the ultimate interval in a sport that the Avalanche ended up shedding 8-4.
The story remained the identical within the crew’s subsequent sport in opposition to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 12 when he surrendered three objectives in simply over a interval of motion. Georgiev was pulled simply 1:56 into the second interval after Blue Jackets ahead Adam Fantilli discovered the again of the online in what finally was a 6-4 loss.
Most just lately, Georgiev let up 4 objectives in a 5-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday.
Georgiev’s tough begin has resulted within the Avalanche having a 0-4-0 document to start the common season. In reality, Colorado is certainly one of solely three winless groups throughout the league up thus far.
Clearly, there’s nonetheless an extended season forward, and there is loads of time for Georgiev to proper the ship. Nevertheless, after tallying a 3.02 goals-against-average in 62 begins final season, it is a bit of regarding for an Avalanche crew that’s anticipated to contend for a Stanley Cup in 2024-25.