NHL Star Energy Index: Evgeni Malkin hits historic milestone amid sizzling begin, Sam Reinhart dominates early on

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 listing it will not be a superb factor — it signifies that they’re capturing a considerable amount of the hockey world’s consideration.

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

Evgeni Malkin continues to carry out at an elite stage even within the latter stage of his NHL profession. In actual fact, the Pittsburgh Penguins star achieved a really vital milestone in Wednesday’s 6-5 extra time win towards the Buffalo Sabres.

In the course of the third interval of Wednesday’s contest, Malkin scored his five hundredth profession aim and was ready to take action in dramatic vogue. 

Malkin acquired the puck from Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and his preliminary shot was stopped by the pad of Sabres goaltender Ukko Pekka-Luukkonen. The Penguins ahead stayed with the play and regardless of falling down, nonetheless managed to deposit the rebound into the again of the web.

It was an evening of milestones as Crosby turned the tenth participant in NHL historical past to file 1,600 factors in his NHL profession. Mockingly sufficient, Malkin assisted on Crosby’s game-winning extra time aim to raise the Penguins to victory.

Malkin joined Mario Lemieux (690) and Crosby (593) as simply the third participant in workforce historical past to tally 500 targets. As well as, Malkin turned simply the eighth participant in NHL historical past that was born exterior of america or Canada to register 500 profession targets.

Except for the milestone, Malkin has been on fireplace to start the 2024-25 season. The Penguins star has tallied 11 factors (two targets & 9 assists) within the first 5 video games of the marketing campaign, and achieved much more historical past. Malkin turned the primary Penguins participant to rack up 11 factors within the workforce’s first 5 video games of a single season since Lemieux had 4 targets and 7 assists within the first 5 video games of the 2002-03 season.

Getting into Friday, Malkin is tied for the NHL lead in factors with New York Rangers star Artemi Panarin.

After being held off the rating sheet within the season opener towards the New York Rangers, Malkin has registered a number of factors in every of the final 4 contests. Malkin’s greatest recreation was Wednesday’s efficiency towards the Sabres by which he recorded 4 factors (one aim & three assists)

The Penguins are going to want to rely on their franchise cornerstones in Malkin and Crosby in the event that they need to make a playoff push this season. Consequently, it is an enormous deal to see Malkin getting off to such a sizzling begin.

Sam Reinhart was at all times an especially productive participant throughout his time with the Buffalo Sabres initially of his profession. Since arriving in South Florida, Reinhart has remodeled into one of the vital deadly aim scorers across the NHL.

The Florida Panthers star had a profession yr in 2023-24 by which he tallied 59 targets and was rewarded with a eight-year, $69 million contract extension over the summer season. Reinhart has picked up proper the place he left off final season after he helped lead the Panthers to their first Stanley Cup in franchise historical past.

Getting into Friday, Reinhart is presently tied for third within the NHL in factors (9) with 4 targets and 5 assists. The Panthers ahead has registered multi-point performances in three of Florida’s six video games to this point.

Reinhart’s most spectacular displaying got here in a 4-3 win towards the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. The 28-year outdated tallied a aim and two assists in that specific contest and it marked his first three-point efficiency of the younger 2024-25 season.

Reinhart scored his fourth aim of the season in well timed vogue to assist lead the Panthers previous the Blue Jackets. 

With simply two seconds remaining within the second interval, Reinhart dumped the puck behind the web to teammate Carter Verhaeghe, and made his means in the direction of the entrance of the web. Reinhart was in a position to sneak the puck previous Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins on a bang-bang aim when he acquired the puck again in entrance.

Reinhart continues to thrive as one of many Panthers prime aim scorers. Florida is certainly going to want his scoring manufacturing over the following handful of video games with out Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk within the lineup.

The Calgary Flames have seemed like one of many extra spectacular groups throughout the league within the opening two weeks of the 2024-25 season. Defenseman Rasmus Andersson has been a really massive a part of that success.

Andersson has turn out to be the chief of Calgary’s again finish and tallied factors in three of the workforce’s first 4 video games. The 27-year outdated blue-liner’s greatest efficiency to this point got here in a 4-1 win towards the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday when he racked up a aim and a pair of assists.

Andersson displayed his great imaginative and prescient on the ice all through Sunday’s recreation.

The Flames defenseman carried the puck into the offensive zone and proceeded to weave his means by means of the Oilers protection like he was Connor McDavid. Finally, Andersson was in a position to make his means into the slot and ripped a shot previous Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner to offer the Flames a 2-1 lead on the time.

The veteran defenseman additionally supplied secondary assists on targets from forwards Anthony Mantha and Justin Kirkland within the third interval, which helped the Flames take a commanding benefit towards the Oilers.

Getting into Friday, Andersson’s six factors are second behind solely Cale Makar (8) amongst NHL defensemen. Andersson has continued to grow to be a really sturdy offensive-minded blue-liner in recent times, however seeing his imaginative and prescient on full show early within the season has been spectacular to look at.

It is protected to say that Colorado Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev has had a considerable amount of struggles out of the field this season.

In 4 begins to begin off the yr, Georgiev has tallied a 0-3-0 file to associate with a 5.79 goals-against-average and a .800 save proportion. The Avalanche netminder has been pulled in two of these begins and has yielded at the very least 4 targets in three of these contests.

Georgiev started the season on a bitter notice as he surrendered 5 targets in simply two intervals towards the Vegas Golden Knights. He ended up not taking the ice for the ultimate interval in a recreation that the Avalanche ended up dropping 8-4.

The story remained the identical within the workforce’s subsequent recreation towards the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 12 when he surrendered three targets in simply over a interval of motion. Georgiev was pulled simply 1:56 into the second interval after Blue Jackets ahead Adam Fantilli discovered the again of the web in what in the end was a 6-4 loss.

Most just lately, Georgiev let up 4 targets in a 5-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday. 

Georgiev’s tough begin has resulted within the Avalanche having a 0-4-0 file to start the common season. In actual fact, Colorado is one in all solely three winless groups throughout the league up up to now. 

Clearly, there’s nonetheless a protracted season forward, and there is loads of time for Georgiev to proper the ship. Nonetheless, after tallying a 3.02 goals-against-average in 62 begins final season, it is just a little regarding for an Avalanche workforce that’s anticipated to contend for a Stanley Cup in 2024-25.