NHL Three Stars: Ducks put up nine-spot vs. Canucks; Maatta boosts Pens
No. 1 Star: Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks put the hurt on the Vancouver Canucks scoring nine times during a 9-1 rout. Perry was one of eight Anaheim players with multi-point nights as his two goals and two assists led the way. In the end, the Ducks capitalized on six of 11 power play opportunities. Things were going so well, one of Perry's goals needed only one hand to score:
No. 2 Star: Nick Bonino, Anaheim Ducks
Of Anaheim's six power play tallies, Bonino scored two of them, increasing his season goal total to 15 with a pair in the second period. The Ducks have now won 18 of their 19 last games, joining the 1967-68 Canadiens for the best record over that stretch.
No. 3 Star: Olli Maatta, Pittsburgh Penguins
Maatta's goal with 1:54 left in the third period broke a 3-3 tie and completed a third period comeback by the Penguins as they edged the Washington Capitals 4-3.
Honorable mention: Tyler Bozak's goal in the third round of the shootout gave the Toronto Maple Leafs a 4-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres. It was Toronto's third consecutive victory ... Sabres rookie Zemgus Girgenson's recorded 13 hits, most by any NHL player this season ... The Maple Leafs lead the NHL with nine shootout wins ... James Reimer stopped 27 shots for his first win since Dec. 19 ... Teemu Selanne had a pair of goals and an assist, while rookie defenseman Sami Vatanen chipped in three points ... Frederik Andersen made 31 saves to improve to 11-2-0 ... Marc-Andre Fleury made 25 saves and now leads NHL goaltenders with 27 wins ... Alex Ovechkin gave the Capitals a third period lead with his league-leading 34th goal of the season.
Did You Know? Pittsburgh's win set a club record for their 14th straight win at home. (AP)
Dishonorable mention: Eddie Lack was pulled after allowing three goals on 13 shots. His replacement, Joacim Eriksson, allowed six on 31 shots ... For the second straight game, the Canucks had to defend an opponent's seven-minute power play ... Vancouver has 142 penalty minutes in two games.
