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.
Winger Chris Kreider joined some very elite company in the New York Rangers' 4-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
With his third period goal, Kreider reached the 50-goal mark and he became just the fourth player in Rangers history to score 50 goals in a single season. The 30-year old joined Jaromir Jagr (54 goals, 2005-06), Adam Graves (52 goals, 1993-94), and Vic Hadfield (50 goals, 1971-72) as the franchise's only 50-goal scorers.
Kreider also became the eighth player in NHL history reach the 50-goal plateau for the first time in his 10th season or later. The Rangers forward joined Joe Mullen, Johnny Bucyk, and Hadfield as the only players to earn that distinction.
He has alsl had a knack for scoring on the power-play throughout the season. Kreider became just the 15th player in NHL history to score 50+ goals and have 25+ power-play goals in a single season. It marked the first time that the feat had been achieved since Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin did so during the 2014-15 campaign.
Kreider has been a fixture with the Rangers since being selected with the 19th overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft. The Boston College product has now tallied 227 goals over his career and Tuesday's goal tied him with Walt Tkaczuk for the 11th most in franchise history.
There have been few goal scorers that have been more impressive than Kreider this season. He's a gritty player that isn't afraid to take up real estate in front of the net and score goals in those dirty areas. His 50th goal was no different as he was able to sweep a rebound past Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen in the third period following up a shot from defenseman Adam Fox.
The Rangers have already clinched a playoff spot with a few weeks remaining in the regular season. Kreider's goal-scoring prowess is going to be a huge asset when the Stanley Cup playoffs roll around.
There isn't a hotter player in the hockey world than Auston Matthews.
Last week, Matthews broke the Toronto Maple Leafs' single-season goals record when he scored his 55th goal of the 2021-22 season against the Dallas Stars. The Maple Leafs center scored the record-breaking goal on a one-timer with a pass from veteran defenseman Mark Giordano. Matthews broke Rick Valve's club record of 54 goals, set during the 1981-82 campaign.
Entering Thursday, the Maple Leafs star has a league-leading 58 goals. Matthews currently has a four-goal lead over Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl for the league lead. Draisaitl did close the gap with a hat trick against the Nashville Predators on Thursday.
In just seven games in April, Matthews has recorded eight goals and six assists. The Maple Leafs center has also scored at least two goals in three of those games, including a hat trick against the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 4. Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres was the first game this month in which Matthews failed to register a point.
However, Matthews did rebound with a two-assist showing in a 7-3 win over the Capitals on Thursday.
Matthews has been an incredibly productive goal scorer in the past, but he's been on a completely different level this season.
The 2021-22 season is the first where Matthews topped the 50-goal mark. Matthews scored 47 goals in 70 games in 2019-20 before the COVID-19 pandemic halted the season. He then had 41 goals in 52 games during the 2020-21 campaign, which was also shorter than normal due to the pandemic.
The Carolina Hurricanes have been one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference this season and goaltender Frederik Andersen may be the biggest reason for that.
After spending the previous five seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Andersen signed a two-year, $9 million contract with the Hurricanes, who originally drafted him back in 2010. During his first season back with the Hurricanes, Andersen currently ranks first in the NHL in goals-against-average (2.07), tied for second in wins (35), and is tied for second in save percentage (.926).
Over his last three starts, Andersen has only yielded two goals in each of those outings and the Hurricanes outscored the Anaheim Ducks and New York Rangers 9-4 in those games. Andersen has turned aside at least 25 shots in each contest.
Andersen has entrenched himself into the Vezina Trophy race, alongside Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin, who has nearly single-handedly carried his team on his back and is probably the frontrunner to take home the award.
Still, Andersen does have a slight advantage over Shesterkin in the goals-against-average department and has one more win. The award is likely going to be decided over the final few weeks of the regular season with both teams having already clinched playoff spots.
While it hasn't been a banner season for the New York Islanders, goaltender Ilya Sorokin has been one of the true bright spots for the franchise.
In his second NHL season, Sorokin has racked up a strong 24-15-7 record to go along with the NHL's second-best save percentage (.927) and the fourth-best goals-against-average (2.30). Sorokin has also registered six shutouts, which is second in the NHL behind Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom.
Over his last seven starts, Sorokin has surrendered two goals or less in all but two of those contests. In fact, the 26-year old has only given up more than three goals in just three starts over the last two months.
Last month, Sorokin made arguably the save of the year when he robbed New York Rangers star Artemi Panarin with a spectacular stick save.
Despite only playing in 46 games this season, Sorokin has accumulated 1,292 saves, which is the 16th-most in the league. That also explains why the Islanders goalie possesses the second-highest save percentage in the NHL behind only Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin.
Sorokin played the first eight seasons of his professional career in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia and his overseas seasoning appears to have prepared him for life in an NHL crease. He's been one of the most impressive netminders in the league this season and should stabilize the position for the Islanders for several years to come.
