After going on a scoring binge, John Tavares has been named the NHL’s first star of the week, edging out Jonas Hiller -- third star of the month for December -- and Henrik Lundqvist in the process.
Tavares stuffed the stat sheet last week, scoring four goals and six assists to lead all skaters with 10 points. Highlights included his second-career five-point performance (in a 7-3 win over Dallas), followed by a three-assist effort against Toronto (in a 5-3 win over the Leafs). Tavares then capped things off by scoring the OT game-winner against the Stars over the weekend.
Hiller, who has been on fire over the last six weeks, posted a 3-0-0 record with a 1.67 GAA and .941 save percentage to help the Ducks remain atop the NHL standings with a 35-8-5 record (75 points). The Swiss netminder, who was also named to his country’s national team last week, recorded his 19th career shutout against Detroit and now has a 14-game unbeaten streak on the line.
Lundqvist, the third star of the week, went 3-0-1 with a 1.97 GAA and .943 save percentage as the Rangers moved into third place in the Metropolitan Division. After struggling for much of this season, King Henrik looks to have rediscovered his game -- his stellar week was highlighted with a 35-save victory over defending Cup champs Chicago on Jan. 8.