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.
No team across the NHL had a rougher start than the Vancouver Canucks, who dropped their first seven games to open the 2022-23 season. Since then, the Canucks have enjoyed a remarkable turnaround and star center Bo Horvat has had a lot to do with that.
Horvat currently ranks second in the NHL in goals (12), behind only Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid. Over the past six games, Horvat has registered a ridiculous eight goals and two assists. Even crazier is the fact that the Canucks captain has scored two goals in four of those six contests. In fact, Horvat had a streak in which he scored two goals in three consecutive games, which resulted in a pair of Vancouver victories.
Horvat did have his two-goal streak snapped in last Saturday's shootout loss to the Nashville Predators. However, the 27-year-old picked up right where he left off in Tuesday's contest, which was a 6-4 win over the Ottawa Senators.
In that outing, Horvat recorded a pair of goals on four shots in 20:50 of total ice time. Just inside the final minute of the opening period, Senators goaltender Cam Talbot stopped an initial shot from the point from defenseman Ethan Bear. However, Horvat was parked in the right place just in front of the net and deposited a backhanded shot past Talbot for the rebound goal.
Horvat lit the lamp just 1:16 into the third period to earn his second tally in Tuesday's game. Teammate Conor Garland dug the puck away from Senators defenseman Travis Hamonic behind the Ottawa net and dished it right out in front to a wide-open Horvat. Once again, Horvat made the most of his opportunity as he rammed a one-timer past Talbot.
Dating back to last season, Horvat has accumulated 26 goals over his past 33 games, which breaks down to 0.79 goals-per-game. Horvat's goal-scoring prowess has been unmatched this season and certainly has been a huge factor in the Canucks' offensive success.
Nikita Kucherov has had no problem showcasing his ability as a supreme playmaker throughout the early portion of the season.
Over his last three games, the Tampa Bay Lightning star has recorded two goals and four assists. Even more sensational is the fact that Kucherov scored a goal in six consecutive games before having that streak snapped in the Lightning's 3-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.
Ironically enough, prior to that streak starting, Kucherov hadn't scored a single goal in Tampa Bay's first six games of the 2022-23 season. However, now through four games in November, the 29-year-old has tallied three goals and six assists.
Over the past week, Kucherov's most impressive performance came this past Saturday in a 5-3 win against the Buffalo Sabres. The Lightning star winger tallied a goal and three assists, including assisting on the game-winning goal and adding an empty-netter.
Kucherov often gets a ton of credit for being a goal-scoring threat and rightfully so. However, it's his passing ability that has been just as phenomenal throughout the first month of the season. He's registered at least one assist in nine of the Lightning's 13 games while also recording multiple assists in five of those contests.
If Kucherov's playmaking abilities continue at this level, the Lightning certainly can overcome a slow start and be a force in the Eastern Conference once again.
The Boston Bruins have achieved their best start in franchise history with a 11-2-0 record out of the gate. While the Bruins' offense has been a huge reason for the team's success with a league-leading 4.08 goals-per-game, the defense has been just as impressive with Hampus Lindholm anchoring the blue line.
Lindholm, who was acquired at the trade deadline last season from the Anaheim Ducks, is enjoying a sensational season as he currently leads the NHL in plus/minus with a +12 rating. Additionally, Lindholm also ranks fourth among NHL defenseman with 13 points, behind only Erik Karlsson of the San Jose Sharks, Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres and Brandon Montour of the Florida Panthers.
The Swedish defenseman is enjoying a strong month as he's scored a pair of goals and dished out four assists. His best performance came on Nov. 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, when he netted a goal and tallied a mind-boggling three assists in a chaotic 6-5 Bruins overtime win.
Lindholm even scored the game-winning goal in overtime of that contest. He was able to skate the puck into the zone nearly untouched and rip a beautiful snap shot past Penguins netminder Tristan Jarry to win the game.
Lindholm has also proved his worth on the power play with four power-play assists this season. He's been a huge plus on the team's top power-play unit as the Bruins have been missing star defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who has yet to play this season as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery.
While the 2022-23 season is only a month old, there have been several netminders that have rose to the occasion in the early going. Without a doubt, among the most impressive has been Ville Husso of the Detroit Red Wings.
Husso currently ranks second in goals-against-average (1.86), third in save percentage (.941) and is tied for the league lead in shutouts (2). The Red Wings goaltender also has accumulated a 5-1-2 record, giving him the fourth-most wins in the NHL.
Husso also became just the fifth goaltender in franchise history to record two shutouts in his first seven starts with the Red Wings.
Over his last three starts, Husso has been a brick wall for a Red Wings team that currently sits in second place in the Atlantic Division behind the Boston Bruins. The Finnish goalie has allowed a grand total of three goals in those three starts, including a shutout this past Saturday in a 3-0 win against the New York Islanders. In that particular contest, Husso stopped all 24 shots he faced.
In July, the St. Louis Blues traded Husso to the Red Wings in exchange for a third-round pick. Shortly after being traded, he signed a three-year, $14.25 million contract extension with Detroit.
The Red Wings have had a revolving door when it comes to the goaltender position in recent years. They've tried to find their franchise goalie with players like Alex Nedeljkovic, Thomas Greiss and Petr Mrazek, but nobody has really stuck. Detroit really hasn't had a dependable cornerstone netminder since Jimmy Howard had success in the early 2010s with the team.
While it's early in Husso's tenure in the Motor City, there's a lot to like about his performance thus far. If this type of production keeps up, the Red Wings can certainly be a contender in the Eastern Conference after missing the postseason in each of the last six years.
