Monday’s Three Stars: Shutouts for almost everyone!
No. 1 Star: Jaroslav Halak, St. Louis Blues
Halak's 22 saves and T.J. Oshie's goal with 8:34 remaining in the third period helped give the Blues a 1-0 win over the Dallas Stars and put them atop the Western Conference standings.
The shutout was Halak's third of the season and 19th of his career. St. Louis has won six of their last seven games and won their NHL-best 19th game at home this season.
No. 2 Star: Chris Mason, Winnipeg Jets
Helping to end Winnipeg's three-game losing streak, Mason recorded his second shutout of the year by stopping 25 shots as the Jets blanked the Ottawa Senators 2-0. The win also snapped Ottawa's four-game win streak in the process. Goals from Tobias Enstrom and Jim Slater were enough to help give the Senators their first regulation loss in 10 games.
No. 2 Star: Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings
The NHL's leader in wins picked up his 27th with a 27-save performance during a 5-0 shutout of the Buffalo Sabres. It was the fifth shutout of the season for Howard and helped extend Detroit's win streak at Joe Louis Arena to 15 games. Todd Bertuzzi and Pavel Datsyuk each recorded three points with the dangle master's third helper helping him reach the 700-point plateau.
Honorable mention: Pekka Rinne stopped 36 shots, including 19 in the second period, as the Nashville Predators downed the New York Islanders 3-1. The Predators scored on their first two shots of the game and opened up a 3-0 lead within the first 12 minutes of the opening period ... Gilbert Brule scored his first goal of the season and Shane Doan recorded the 40th two-goal game of his career as the Phoenix Coyotes routed the Colorado Avalanche 6-1. Boyd Gordon also chipped in a pair of goals and rookie Chris Summers added two assists, the first points of his NHL career. Mike Smith made 38 saves for only his second win in six starts ... Patrice Bergeron scored a pair in regulation and one in the shootout to help boost the Boston Bruins to a 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers. Tuukka Rask made 38 saves and has won his last seven starts.
Did you know? "The Red Wings have the longest single-season winning streak by an NHL team at home since 1976 when Philadelphia won 20 in a row to match a league mark set by Boston during the 1929-30 season, according to STATS, LLC." (AP)
Dishonorable mention: According to MSG, the Islanders have allowed a goal on the first shot of the game nine times this season ... Ryan Suter left the game after the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return ... After surrendering five goals through 24 minutes, Ryan Miller was pulled in favor of Jhonas Enroth ... Ed Jovanovski injured his hand in a fight with Daniel Paille and could be out some time ... Unlike Miller, Semyon Varlamov wasn't pulled and was in net for all six Phoenix goals ... Over their last 12 games, the Stars power play has converted on just three of 39 opportunities. They failed on three chance against the Blues.
