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 Philadelphia Flyers parted ways with coach John Tortorella last week after an uneventful three seasons with the organization. With the future of the franchise uncertain, one positive has been the play of rookie forward Matvei Michkov.
Michkov has tallied four goals and three assists over his last three games, while recording a pair of two-goal games during that span.
In Monday’s 2-1 win against the Nashville Predators, Michkov tallied two assists and ended up tying Peter Zezel for the sixth-most multi-point games (18) by a Flyers rookie. Michkov also tied Eric Lindros (1992-93), Larry Goodenough (1975-76) and Bill Barber (1972-73) for the ninth-most assists (34) by a Flyers rookie.
Michkov — the No. 7 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft — is in his first season in North America after being released from his KHL contract last offseason. He currently ranks second among NHL rookies in points (58) behind only Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson (62).
Michkov recorded a two-goal performance in a 7-4 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. In fact, he opened the scoring for the Flyers in a contest filled with offense.
Just 5:27 into the game, Flyers defenseman Egor Zemula blocked a Sabres shot in the defensive zone, and Philadelphia was then off to the races. Flyers forward Travis Konecny scooped up the loose puck and embarked on a two-on-one with Michkov down the ice. Upon receiving the puck around the red line, Michkov carried the puck into the offensive zone, remained patient and ripped a shot under the glove of Sabres goaltender Ukko Pekka-Luukkonen.
In the second period, Konecny and Michkov combined to score another goal for Philadelphia. At the 10:36 mark of the frame, Flyers captain Sean Couturier was able to get the puck free along the Flyers blue line and shuffled it ahead to Konecny. Shortly after receiving the puck, Konecny sent the puck ahead to Michkov, who was speeding ahead of the defense. Michkov eventually sent a backhanded shot over the shoulder of Pekka-Luukkonen.
Michkov is on a six-game point streak in which he’s recorded four goals and six assists.
The Flyers star forward certainly is making a late surge towards the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie. It’s likely Hutson’s award to lose at this point, but Michkov isn’t too far behind Hutson from an offensive standpoint. Regardless of whether he brings home the hardware, Michkov continues to show he’s an integral part of Philadelphia’s future.
The race for the NHL points lead is heating up in a big way with just a few weeks remaining in the regular season. At the forefront of that battle is Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov, who is tallying points at will.
Kucherov recently recorded a eight-game point streak in which he tallied five goals and 14 assists.
In 71 games this season, the Lightning star has racked up 111 points (33 goals, 78 assists), and is only three points behind Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon for the league lead in points (114). Kucherov, who won the Art Ross Trophy as last season’s points leader, has registered a goal in four of his last six games, while recording four consecutive multi-assist performances prior to Thursday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Just 2:02 into Saturday’s 5-3 win against the New York Islanders, Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman found Kucherov idling in the neutral zone, and Kucherov made a charge toward the net. Upon receiving the puck, Kucherov turned on the afterburners, skated into the offensive zone, and sent a scorching shot that clanged off the post and into the net.
Kucherov then played the role of facilitator with the Lightning holding a commanding 3-0 advantage late in the second period. With just 17 seconds remaining in the second period, the Lightning were set up in the offensive zone when Kucherov received a pass from teammate Brandon Hagel in the face-off circle. Kucherov could’ve certainly teed up a vicious one-timer, but instead chose to slide the puck across to Brayden Point for the easy goal.
As the season winds down, Kucherov is on pace for 128 points, which would be tied for the second-highest output of his 11-year career. He’s already clinched his fourth consecutive 100-point campaign after tallying 144 points in 2023-24.
Kucherov’s playmaking ability has been on full display as of late, and he figures to be right there with MacKinnon for the points lead at the end of the regular season.
The New York Rangers are fighting for their playoff lives as the regular season winds down over the next couple of weeks. While it’s been an up-and-down campaign, one constant has been the play of Adam Fox on the team’s blue line.
Fox is second on the Rangers in points (56) and assists (47) while leading the team in power-play assists (16). The veteran defenseman has tallied three goals and an assist over his last three games, including a recent two-goal performance in a 6-1 win against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.
At the 4:48 of the second period against San Jose, Fox was the beneficiary of some terrific puck movement. When the Rangers were able to keep the puck in the Sharks zone, Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad was able to slide the puck over to winger Brennan Othmann, who got the puck over to a cutting Fox. Fox ended up getting the puck right on his stick and was able to go high shelf to beat Sharks goaltender Alexandar Georgiev.
With the Rangers holding a 4-0 lead, Fox was able to find the back of the net for the second time in the game. At the 5:47 mark of the third period, After fellow defenseman K’Andre Miller sent a shot wide, Rangers center J.T. Miller attempted to sweep the puck into the net from the side, and the puck ended up banking off of Georgiev along the goal line. Upon noticing that the puck wasn’t fully across the goal line, Fox tapped the puck into the net in one of the easier goals he’s probably ever going to have.
Fox has become much more involved on the offensive end of the ice in recent weeks. In fact, the star defenseman has registered nine total shots across his last three contests.
As the Rangers attempt to obtain one of the Eastern Conference’s Wild Card spots, Fox will likely need to be a big part of the team’s attack late in the regular season.
Jordan Binnington put together a spectacular showing at the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this season. Since then, Binnington has continued that stellar level of play for a surging St. Louis Blues team battling for a Wild Card playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Binnington has tallied a 10-2-0 record to go along with a 2.00 goals-against-average and a .917 save percentage since the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The Blues netminder has allowed just three total goals in his last three games, which have all landed the Blues in the win column. In his most recent start, Binnington stopped 20 of the 21 shots he faced in a 2-1 overtime win against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.
Binnington has allowed two or fewer goals in nine of his 13 games since the 4 Nations Face-Off wrapped up, while also being victorious in six consecutive starts.
The Blues have recorded an 11-game winning streak dating back to March 15. With Binnington playing at an elite level, it couldn’t have come for a better time for a St. Louis team that is fighting for their playoff lives late in the regular season.
Two Russian-born players are currently leading the NHL Star Power Index with impressive point totals, Matvei Michkov of the Philadelphia Flyers and Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Both players have been lighting up the scoreboard and making a name for themselves in the league.
Matvei Michkov, a 19-year-old forward, has been turning heads with his incredible skill and scoring ability. In just his rookie season with the Flyers, Michkov has already tallied an impressive 45 points in 35 games. He has quickly become one of the team’s top offensive threats and a player to watch for years to come.
On the other hand, Nikita Kucherov is a seasoned veteran in the NHL and has consistently been one of the league’s top scorers. The 28-year-old forward has amassed an impressive 60 points in 41 games this season, leading the Lightning in scoring. Kucherov’s playmaking ability and scoring touch have been instrumental in Tampa Bay’s success this season.
Both Michkov and Kucherov have been instrumental in their respective teams’ success this season, with their offensive prowess leading the way. Their ability to consistently put up points and make plays on the ice has made them two of the most exciting players to watch in the NHL.
As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see if Michkov can continue his impressive rookie campaign and if Kucherov can maintain his high level of play. Both players have proven themselves to be elite talents in the league, and fans can expect to see more highlight-reel plays from these two Russian stars as the season unfolds.
