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 checklist it will not be an excellent factor — it implies that they’re capturing a considerable amount of the hockey world’s consideration.

These gamers are in no explicit order with regards to the quantity of buzz that they are creating. We’ll revisit the Star Energy Index each week all through the common season.

Auston Matthews produced a career-high 60-goal marketing campaign in 2021-22, and that resulted within the Toronto Maple Leafs star profitable the Hart Trophy because the NHL’s MVP. It is potential that Matthews might even outdo that season contemplating the speed at which he is scoring purpose up to now in 2023-24.

Coming into Thursday, Matthews has racked up 39 objectives all through the 2023-24 season. The Maple Leafs star is presently on tempo for 71 objectives the remainder of the way in which, so there’s potential for Matthews to have a profession season when the mud settles.

That is not shocking contemplating that Matthews has registered six objectives over his final 5 video games. Matthews’ greatest displaying got here in a 4-3 win towards the Calgary Flames on Jan. 18 during which he tallied three objectives and an help.

Matthews registered 35 objectives in 42 video games with the hat trick efficiency. The one gamers in Maple Leafs historical past that reached the 35-goal plateau quicker are Babe Dye (26 video games in 1924-25), Frank Mahovlich (39 video games in 1960-61), and Rick Vaive (42 video games in 1983-84).

It was additionally Matthews’ eleventh profession hat trick and moved the Maple Leafs star previous Vaive (10) for the fourth-most hat tips in crew historical past. Solely Darryl Sittler (18), Dye (16), and Charlie Conacher (14) have extra hat tips than Matthews in Maple Leafs historical past.

What made Matthews’ efficiency towards the Flames so necessary was the truth that he was capable of rating all three objectives in lower than a full 20-minute span. Matthews started his sensational evening late within the opening interval when he benefitted from a free puck.

Maple Leafs ahead Noah Gregor was trying to deliver the puck into the offensive line when it was blocked by the skate of Flames defenseman Nick DeSimone. Following the deflection, Gregor was capable of sweep the puck to Matthews, who was making his means in direction of the online behind the protection. Matthews was capable of corral the puck, and rip a shot previous Flames goaltender Dan Vladar to chop the deficit to 2-1.

Matthews additionally discovered the again of the online early within the second interval in what was maybe his most lovely tally on the evening. On the 4:08 mark of the second interval, Maple Leafs star ahead William Nylander uncorked a shot that ended up being blocked in entrance. Nylander obtained the puck again, and slid a picture-perfect go throughout the ice to Matthews for a one-timer. Matthews actually did not miss his probability as he blasted the one-timer previous Vladar.

The Maple Leafs middle completed off the hat trick late within the second interval. Matthews was capable of deposit a backhander on the rebound off a Matthew Knies shot to offer Toronto a 4-2 lead, and finally received the sport for the Maple Leafs.

Matthews is placing the puck within the web at an absurd charge this season. If Matthews can proceed to attain objectives at this charge, the Maple Leafs are going to be a tricky out come playoff time.

Few gamers across the NHL have put the puck within the web on the charge that David Pastrnak has been. 

The Boston Bruins star has racked up 5 objectives and three assists over his final 4 video games. Pastrnak has additionally scored not less than one purpose in three of his previous 5 video games.

Pastrnak presently ranks third within the NHL in factors (67) and solely trails Colorado Avalanche middle Nathan MacKinnon (82) and Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov (80) in that division. The Bruins winger can also be tied for fourth in objectives (30) behind solely Toronto Maple Leafs middle Auston Matthews (38), Florida Panthers star Sam Reinhart (34), and Kucherov (31).

Pastrnak’s most spectacular efficiency got here on Jan. 18 in a 5-2 win towards the Colorado Avalanche when he recorded a hat trick. It marked the sixteenth profession hat trick for Pastrnak, and solely Phil Esposito has extra such performances (26) in crew historical past.

The Bruins star obtained into the scoring column fairly early towards the Avalanche. Simply 44 seconds into the competition, Pastrnak put a side-angle shot on web that Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev was capable of cease. Nevertheless, there was a rebound on the play that squeaked free, and Pastrnak scooped up the puck. Pastrnak even circled his means into the slot and ripped a snap shot previous Georgiev to open the scoring.

Pastrnak discovered the again of the online as soon as once more on the 17:24 mark of the third interval. The Bruins winger was the beneficiary of an amazing go from teammate Jake DeBrusk. DeBrusk ended up releasing the free puck and skated his means into the slot, the place he discovered a chopping Pastrnak proper in entrance for a straightforward tap-in purpose.

Pastrnak capped off the evening along with his third purpose within the closing minute as he scored an empty-netter. 

The Bruins star is having one in all his greatest months of the 2023-24 season. Pastrnak has tallied 17 factors (eight objectives & 9 assists) in 12 video games up to now, and has registered a number of factors in 4 of his final six video games. Pastrnak is presently on tempo for 117 factors (52 objectives & 65 assists) this season, and positively is without doubt one of the key explanation why the Bruins are chasing their second consecutive Presidents’ Trophy. 

Cale Makar continues to hold the torch of being one of many prime younger defensemen that the NHL has to supply. 

The Colorado Avalanche blue-liner is having one other stellar season. Makar presently ranks second amongst NHL defensemen in factors (57), second in assists (46), and is tied for fourth in objectives (11). He solely ranks third in factors and second in assists with regards to the Avalanche.

Makar is presently on a five-game level streak and has recorded an help in every of these contests. He registered a key help within the Avalanche’s 7-4 win towards the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. 

On the 12:23 mark of the third interval, the Flyers had rallied from a 5-2 deficit and made it a 5-4 sport. Following a key face-off win by the Avalanche, Makar was capable of achieve management of the puck, and ultimately let go of a shot that made its technique to Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson. Ersson was initially capable of cease Makar’s shot, however ahead Mikko Rantanen was capable of put the free puck previous Ersson.

Makar tallied a three-point efficiency (one purpose & two assists) in a 6-2 win towards the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. In doing so, Makar has now scored essentially the most profession objectives (76) in Avalanche historical past.

Makar is actually within the dialog for the Norris Trophy because the NHL’s prime defenseman. In the intervening time, the Avalanche blue-liner is neck-in-neck with Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes so far as the highest producers on the place.

Makar positively has established himself as one of many league’s premier defensemen and is without doubt one of the large explanation why the Avalanche might be a drive within the Stanley Cup Playoffs later this season.

Connor Ingram has come out of nowhere to have a stellar season in web for the Arizona Coyotes.

Ingram has tallied a 17-9-1 document to go together with a 2.47 goals-against-average and a .919 save proportion throughout the 2023-24 season. The 26-year-old has yielded two or fewer objectives in 4 of his final 5 video games and has been victorious in three of these contests.

Maybe essentially the most spectacular statistic about Ingram is that he is tied for the league lead in shutouts (5). 

In his most up-to-date outing, Ingram stopped 25 of the 27 pictures that he confronted in a 5-2 win towards the Pittsburgh Penguins. After Penguins star Sidney Crosby had tied the sport within the second interval, Ingram saved the Penguins off the rating sheet over the ultimate 23:30 of the competition.

Ingram bounced across the NHL early in his profession. The Coyotes goaltender began off his profession by being chosen by the Tampa Bay Lightning within the third spherical of the 2016 NHL Draft. He was then traded to the Nashville Predators the place he solely appeared in three video games earlier than being claimed off of waivers by the Coyotes in October 2022.

It was anticipated that Ingram would play the backup function behind Karel Vejmelka in 2023-24, however Ingram has performed himself into the beginning goaltender job. If the sort of success continues, Ingram can actually be the long run within the crease for a younger Coyotes crew.