Welcome to the NHL Star Power Index: A weekly gauge of the players who are controlling substantial buzz around the league. When a player is included on this list it may not be a good thing — it means that they are capturing a large amount of the hockey world’s attention.
These players are in no particular order when it comes to the amount of buzz that they’re creating. We’ll revisit the Star Power Index every week throughout the regular season.
The Vegas Golden Knights certainly have gotten a return on their investment since acquiring Jack Eichel from the Buffalo Sabres back in 2021. Eichel has already led the Golden Knights to a Stanley Cup in 2023, but the center is finishing up arguably the best statistical season of his carer.
Eichel has already tallied a career-best 90 points (26 goals & 64 assists) after only reaching 80 once before in his 10 professional seasons.
Eichel recorded a hat trick in Tuesday’s 5-1 win against the Minnesota Wild, which was the third such performance since joining the Golden Knights. He is already tied for the second-most hat tricks in franchise history.
At the 6:23 mark of the opening period, Eichel sent a cross-ice pass over to defenseman Shea Theodore, who put the puck on net. After the shot was blocked in front, Eichel happened to be at the right place at the right time, and was able to rip a shot past Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who was out of position.
With the Golden Knights clinging to a 2-1 lead in the third period, Eichel displayed terrific patience when Vegas was on a power-play late. After forward William Karlsson won an offensive zone face-off, the Golden Knights were able to get set up on the man advantage. Eichel eventually possessed the puck at the top of the face-off circle when he took advantage of the spacing, and ended up sending a scorching shot past Fleury.
Eichel clinched his hat trick on the final goal of the game at the 17:28 to really put the contest out of reach.
Eichel is on pace for 105 points this season and has led the Golden Knights to the top of the Pacific Division coming down the home stretch. He is currently riding a four-game point streak in which he’s tallied five goals and five assists.
After turning in a career-high 109-point season in the 2022-23 season, Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson has seen a noticeable drop-off in performance the past two seasons. However, Robertson may have finally found that top form once again on a deep squad.
Robertson leads Dallas in goals with 32 and is tied for second most points at 73 with Matt Duchene. The Stars standout recently recorded a natural hat trick in the second period of the Stars’ 4-3 win against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.
With the Stars already leading the Oilers 1-0, Robertson began his sensational scoring night at the 5:01 mark of the second period. Robertson benefitted from some terrific puck movement as star forward Mikko Rantanen got it over to teammate Roope Hintz despite falling to the ice. Hintz then was able to pass the puck off to Robertson, who deposited a back-hander into the net.
Just over five minutes later, Robertson found the back of the net once again as he hopped out of the penalty box into a two-on-one opportunity. Rather than passing the puck over to Rantanen, Robertson decided to uncork a shot that snuck under the pad of Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner.
Robertson scored his final goal of the night less than five minutes later to give the Stars a commanding 4-0 lead. The Stars ended up needing all three of Robertson’s goals as the Oilers tallied three unanswered goals in the final period.
Robertson may not eclipse his career-high in goals (46), but Dallas has received an uptick in offensive production from their star winger this season. This marks the third time in four seasons that Robertson has racked up at least 30 goals in a campaign.
The Edmonton Oilers are currently without two of their top playmakers in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl due to injury. As a result, the team has needed to receive offensive production from other avenues, and defenseman Evan Bouchard has stepped up in a big way.
Bouchard has registered a point in three of his last five games, including a two-assist performance in a 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday. After earning a secondary assist earlier the period, Bouchard really helped close the gap against the Stars in a game where they trailed 4-0 at one point.
At the 18:35 mark of the third period, Bouchard ripped a shot on net that Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger was able to stop. However, Oilers forward Zach Hyman Hyman pounced on the rebound to make it a 4-3 game in the final 90 seconds.
Bouchard has registered three assists over his last three games, and has tallied four goals and eight assists during the month of March.
The Oilers defenseman actually ranks third on the team in points (57) behind McDavid and Draisaitl. In addition, Bouchard ranks third among defensemen in points (57), while having the sixth-most assists (44) among blue-liners.
Bouchard certainly may not be the elite offensive option that McDavid or Draisaitl are, but he definitely brings an abundance of playmaking skills to the table that Edmonton needs right now. When the Stanley Cup Playoffs roll around, Bouchard will heavily relied upon on both ends of the ice.
Earlier this season, the Colorado Avalanche decided to shake up their crease when they shipped goaltender Alexandar Georgiev to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for fellow goalie Mackenzie Blackwood. As the regular season moved along, it became clear that the Avalanche may upgraded the goaltending position in a big way.
Blackwood has put together a 21-8-3 record to go along with a 2.15 goals-against-average and a .919 save percentage in 32 games with the Avalanche. The veteran netminder is also tied for third among NHL goaltenders with four shutouts on the season.
Blackwood registered his fourth shutout of the season as he stopped all 22 shots that he faced in a 4-0 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. It marked the third consecutive contest in which the Avalanche goaltender has surrendered two or fewer goals.
On Tuesday, Blackwood had another spectacular performance when he turned aside 21 of 23 shots in a 5-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings. Blackwood has only suffered one regulation loss in his last nine starts.
In recent years, the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup with Darcy Kuemper in net, but couldn’t afford to retain Kuemper in free agency during the 2022 offseason. The franchise acquired Georgiev from the New York Rangers, but Georgiev had an up-and-down tenure in Colorado before being traded to San Jose.
Blackwood has really become the goaltender that the Avalanche needed down the stretch, and could make a huge difference when the postseason begins.
Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel is having a career season in the NHL, and his impressive performance has landed him a spot in the league’s Star Power Index. Eichel, who was selected second overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, has been a key player for the Sabres this season, leading the team in points and goals.
Eichel’s success this season can be attributed to his exceptional skill and leadership on the ice. The 24-year-old center has been a force to be reckoned with, consistently putting up points and making plays that have helped his team secure important wins. Eichel’s strong play has not gone unnoticed, as he has quickly become one of the top players in the league.
In a recent game against the Dallas Stars, Eichel continued to shine, scoring two goals and adding an assist to help lead the Sabres to victory. His performance earned him a spot in the NHL’s Star Power Index, a weekly ranking of the league’s top players based on their recent performances.
But Eichel wasn’t the only player making headlines in that game. Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson also had a standout performance, scoring a natural hat trick to help his team secure a win over the Sabres. Robertson’s impressive feat caught the attention of fans and analysts alike, solidifying his status as a rising star in the NHL.
As the NHL season continues, both Eichel and Robertson will be players to watch as they look to build on their success and help lead their teams to victory. With their exceptional skill and determination, these two players are sure to continue making waves in the league and solidifying their places among the NHL’s elite.
