Welcome to the 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. TB RW #86 G 19 A 28 +/- -2 It's hard to argue against being the most dangerous player to this point of the 2023-24 season. Kucherov currently leads the NHL in points (47) and has a five-point lead over forward for that honor. In addition, the star ranks second in goals (19) while being tied for second in a sists (28) with , and . Kucherov is averaging a mind-boggling 1 Stanley Johnson Jersey .62 points per game on the season, and he has tallied three goals and two a sists over his last four games. The Lightning winger had himself quite a game in a 4-3 overtime win against the on Dec. 9, as he logged two goals and an a sist. With the Lightning already owning a 1-0 lead in the opening period, Kucherov was the beneficiary of some phenomenal puck movement. After scooping up the loose puck in the offensive zone, Kucherov dished it off to teammate , who distributed it to . Point then deposited a pinpoint accurate pa s onto the stick of Kucherov, and Kucherov tapped it in for the easy goal. Don't leave Kuch out front \_()_/ Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) If that wasn't impre sive enough, Kucherov later showed he had a flair for the dramatic against the Kraken. At the 3:12 mark of overtime, Hagel charged up the ice with the puck and executed a two-on-one to perfection as he made his way toward the front of the net. Hagel slid a pa s from the face-off circle over to Kucherov, and Kucherov scored a sensational goal on Kraken goaltender . Kucherov is currently embarking on a season for the ages. After all, the explosive forward is currently on pace for a career-best 133 points (54 goals Willy Hernangomez Jersey and 79 a sists) over the 2023-24 campaign. While that's quite an insane pace, it's definitely po sible Kucherov can have another 120-point season in him with the way he's playing. LV C #48 G 9 A 15 +/- -14 The have won three of their last four games, and has certainly been one of the biggest reasons for the team's recent succe s. Hertl has registered five goals and an a sist over his last four games, including a two-goal performance against the on Dec. 7. In a 6-5 overtime victory against the Red Wings, Hertl was a constant source of offense for a Sharks team that desperately needed it after falling behind 4-0. The game marked San Jose's second all-time win when trailing by four goals, and Hertl started the ma sive comeback with his first goal of the night. After forcing a turnover in the defensive zone, the Sharks took the puck the other way. Fellow forward tapped the puck over to Hertl, who raced down the ice. With a two-on-one rush, Hertl ripped a snap shot on the blocker side that goaltender wasn't able to get enough of a piece of. The Sharks added three more second-period goals to tie the game at 4-4 before Red Wings captain gave his team a 5-4 advantage at the 13:20 mark of the third period. However, Hertl wasn't done just yet. With under two minutes remaining in regulation, Hertl was able to win the face-off by kicking the puck back to teammate . Granlund ripped a slap shot that went wide of the net, but happened to bounce off the boards behind the net. The puck ended up ricocheting right to Hertl, who banged the rebound past Hu so to tie the game. Hertl currently leads the Sharks in points (24) and goals (9), and he Will Magnay Jersey has really been thriving over the last few weeks. If Hertl sustains this level of play, it's quite po sible he could be a key a set for the Sharks when the trade deadline rolls around. NYI D #8 G 5 A 24 +/- +15 defenseman has developed into a premier producer at his position, and he is really enjoying a sensational stretch. Dobson is currently riding a five-game point streak and has racked up eight points (all a sists) during that stretch. His most impre sive performance came in Monday's 4-3 overtime win against the , when Dobson tallied three a sists. It marked the second three-a sist performance for Dobson in his last six games. Dobson also had a three-a sist outing on Nov. 30 in a 5-4 overtime Tony Carr Jersey victory against the . As a result of his recent hot play, Dobson ranks fourth among NHL defensemen in points (29). Dobson has tallied four multi-point performance over his last eight contests. In Monday's game, Dobson recorded his final a sist at the perfect time. In the overtime period, Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews put a shot on net that Islanders goaltender was able to stop. Dobson made a heads-up play by quickly flipping the puck ahead to Islanders center . Barzal orchestrated a two-on-one with teammate , and Horvat was able to snap home the game-winning goal. BADA BING BADA BOOM New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) Dobson has registered 101 total points over his past two seasons and has really become one of the league's top blue-liners. He's currently on pace for 82 points in what would be another outstanding season. Dobson really helps stabilize the blue line for the Islanders, and he's recently provided a ton of a sistance on the offensive end of the ice. If that continues, the Islanders certainly could be in contention for a playoff spot since they're currently in second place in the Metropolitan Division. PHI G #79 Record 9-6-1 GAA 2.42 Save % 91.9 After mi sing the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, the are looking like they're going to compete in the Metropolitan Division this season. Goaltender has certainly helped lead the way for Philadelphia. In 17 starts throughout the 2023-24 season, Hart has registered a 9-6-1 record to go along with a 2.42 goals-against-average and a .919 save percentage. Over his last three starts, Hart has put up some outstanding numbers: a 3-0-0 record, a 1.31 goals-against-average and a .958 save percentage. The Flyers netminder has yielded just four total goals during that time in starts against the , and . The most impre sive start against that stretch came against the Avalanche in a game where the Flyers came away with a 5-2 victory. In that contest, Hart turned aside 36 of the 38 shots that he faced against a team that ranks fourth in the NHL in scoring with 3.59 goals per game. Hart has surrendered two goals or fewer in five of his last 10 starts, and he's allowed no more than three goals in all but one start over that span. The Flyers have certainly been one of the bigger surprises around the league. However, it definitely hasn't hurt that Hart has a healthy playing in front of him along with a balanced scoring attack. If Hart can continue to play at an elite level, it's hard not to Anthony Davis Jersey imagine the Flyers being in the playoff conversation in the second half of the campaign.