Welcome to Star Power Index: A weekly measure of the players making big splashes around the league. If a player is included 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 are in no particular order when it comes to how much buzz they generate. We will review the Star Power Index every week during the regular season.
Alex Ovechkin Entering the 2024-25 season, he was in pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's all-time goalscoring record, and reaching that mark could soon become a reality.
After an extremely productive week, Ovechkin is just 33 goals away from breaking Gretzky's record of 894 career goals. Ovechkin has four goals and five assists in his last four games and has scored three consecutive points against the club Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 31 and against the Columbus Blue Jackets on November 2nd.
The Capitals The striker becomes the fourth player History to score two consecutive three-point performances at age 39 or older. Ovechkin joins players like Jean Ratelle (November 27-29, 1980), Tim Horton (March 5-6, 1969) and Gordie Howe (October 27-31, 1968) as the only players to achieve such a feat.
Ovechkin also scored a goal in a 4-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on November 3 to give him a goal in four consecutive games. He also became the first player since Jaromir Jagr (March 20-25, 2013) to record a four-game goal streak at age 39 or older.
Most recently, Ovechkin extended his scoring streak to five games when he recorded a goal and an assist against the Nashville Predators on Wednesday.
Wednesday's contest ended 2-2 midway through the third quarter as Ovechkin put his stamp on the game. At 10:25 the Capitals storm Dylan Strome managed to get the puck free behind the net and found Ovechkin for a sensational one-timer that found its way over the shoulder of the Predators goaltender Juuse Saros.
That ended up being the game-winning goal as the Capitals beat the Predators 3-2 on Wednesday. The tally was the 130th game-winning goal of Ovechkin's career, and only Jaromir Jagr has more game-winning goals (135) than the Capitals star.
Following Ovechkin's recent run of success, the 39-year-old is on track to score 55 goals this season. While he likely won't be able to keep up that pace, Ovechkin is just 34 goals away from breaking Gretzky's record with less than a quarter of the 2024-25 season still in the books. The outcome is certainly within the realm of possibility, as Ovechkin is off to a much more productive start than he was in the 2023-24 season.
Martin Necas has significantly increased his scoring chances in the last week and is maintaining the speed of the Carolina Hurricanes in most offensive metrics.
Necas currently leads the Hurricanes in goal points (20), assists (13) and power play assists (6). Additionally, Necas is hitting 25.9% of his shots, good for second on the team.
Necas has scored three goals and provided six assists in his last three games, and he is on a four-game goal streak. The Hurricanes star collected three points (one goal and two assists) in a 4-2 win against the Washington Capitals on Sunday. His goal was ultimately the game-winner, lifting the Hurricanes past their Metropolitan Division opponents.
The Hurricanes center also showed a flair for the dramatic when he scored the game-winning goal in a 6-4 win over the Hurricanes Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.
In the final minute against the Flyers, the two teams were tied 4-4. The Hurricanes had puck and forward possession Jesperi Kotkaniemi uncorked a shot that was stopped by the Flyers' goaltender Aleksei Kolosov. However, the Flyers were unable to get the puck out of the crease and Necas put a rebound into the net.
Necas' goal gave the Hurricanes a 5-4 lead with just 29.3 seconds remaining in the third period. Carolina scored a scoreless goal courtesy of the winger Seth Jarvis and came away with a hard-fought 6-4 victory.
Necas has been extremely hot lately, with all seven of his goals coming in the last three weeks. If Necas continues to heat up, the Hurricanes could certainly be a force to be reckoned with in the Metropolitan Division.
Vancouver Canucks defender Quinn Hughes has greatly increased his offensive performance recently.
Hughes has a goal and five assists in his last three games and has recorded back-to-back multi-pointers in his last two games. The veteran defender has also picked up at least one point in four of his last five games.
Hughes really showed off his offensive prowess in the third period as he helped the Canucks distance themselves from the field Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. At the 2:44 mark of the third period, the Canucks were clinging to a 2-1 lead when Hughes put his stamp on the game.
The Canucks captain had to handle the stick at the blue line when some pace finally emerged. Hughes was able to take advantage of a screen from his teammate JT Miller in front of the net and placed the puck precisely past the Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper to extend the Canucks' lead to 3-1.
Previously, Hughes had also scored the Vancouver striker's first assist on a goal Jake DeBrusk That originally gave them a 2-1 lead.
Hughes has established himself as one of the best two-way defenders in the league. He currently sits third in the NHL, just 14 points behind Cale Makar des Colorado avalanche And Josh Morrissey des Winnipeg Jets.
Hughes picked up right where he left off after winning the Norris Trophy as the league's best defenseman for the first time in his career. With Hughes' strong play on the blue line, the Canucks look to be a dominant force in the Western Conference once again in 2024-25.
The Winnipeg Jets had the best start in the NHL with a record of 13-1-0 entering the 2024-25 season. Although they average 4.5 goals every night, a large part of their success can also be attributed to the goalkeeper's great play in the goal crease Connor Hellebuyck.
Given the team's dominance, it should come as no surprise that Hellebuyck has an NHL-best 10 wins. Still, Hellebuyck has also posted a goals-against average of 1.91 and a save percentage of .932, both of which rank second in the league.
According to MoneyPuck, Hellebuyck has a .967 save percentage on unblocked shots this season.
Hellebuyck recorded back-to-back shutouts to help the Jets maintain their winning streak. Most recently, the veteran goalkeeper saved all 35 shots he faced in a 1-0 win against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday. Even though the Avalanche aren't quite at 100% right now, being bombarded with so many shots is still downright impressive in keeping the opposing team off the scoreboard.
In fact, Hellebuyck has conceded two goals or fewer in three of his last four games against the league's top-scoring offense.
Hellebuyck is a stabilizing presence between the goalposts and has definitely earned elite goalkeeper status. Winnipeg is certainly looking like a juggernaut so far this season, and Hellebuyck's play could continue to make them look that way.