NHL Three Stars: Niemi blanks Blackhawks; Klingberg leads Stars
No. 1 Star: Antti Niemi, San Jose Sharks
The ex-Blackhawk made 31 saves in shutting out Chicago, 2-0, on goals by something called Melker Karlsson and Joe Thornton. Niemi made 15 saves in the second period alone.
No. 2 Star: John Klingberg, Dallas Stars
The rookie defenseman had two goals and two assists in their big 5-2 win on the road at the Winnipeg Jets. His two third-period goals put the game out of reach.
No. 3 Star: Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens
Price made 36 saves in shutting out the Washington Capitals, 1-0, as Max Pacioretty scored the game-winner in overtime. It was Price’s second straight shutout.
Honorable Mention: Lance Bouma helped spark a 4-goal third period rally as the Flames topped the Edmonton Oilers, 4-2. His seventh of the season tied the game, before Sean Monahan put the Flames ahead for good on the power play. He scored the dagger at 16:27 on a 2-on-1, his eighth of the season. … Steve Mason made 30 saves to make a first-period Michael Del Zotto goal stand in the Flyers’ 1-0 shutout of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who lost their ninth straight. … The Detroit Red Wings got goals from four different players and Petr Mrazek mae 22 saves in their 4-1 win over the New York Islanders. … Marc Methot have three points and the Ottawa Senators had seven different goal scorers in a 7-2 rout of Arizona. … Third-period goals by Chris Kelly and Brad Marchand, his second of the game, gave the Boston Bruins a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings. Tuukka Rask made 30 saves. … Keith Kinkaid made 26 saves as the New Jersey Devils topped the Florida Panthers, 3-1. … The Lightning used 34 saves from Ben Bishop to beat the Blue Jackets, 3-1. Ryan Johnson scored goal No. 19. … The New York Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes thanks in part to Rick Nash’s 29th of the season. They also overcame a scary moment when Henrik Lundqvist was hit in the throat (but stayed in the game):
Did You Know? The Flames now have an NHL-leading nine wins when trailing after two periods.
Dishonorable Mention: Bryan Bickell took out Scott Hannan with a hit on San Jose, while Robyn Regher did the same to Loui Eriksson in Boston. … Brock Neslon was whistled for embellishment for the Islanders. … Mike Smith was terrible again, stopping just 15 of 20 shots before being pulled. Brandon MacMillan, Kyle Chipchura and Andrew Campbell were all minus-3 for the Coyotes. … Tyler Toffoili was a minus-3.
