NHL Three Stars: Khabibulin stonewalls Blues; Lupul leads Leafs over Panthers
No. 1 Star: Nikolai Khabibulin, Edmonton Oilers
Khabibulin was kept busy in goal stopping all 43 shots he faced as the Oilers blanked the St. Louis Blues 3-0. Jordan Eberle scored twice and assisted on the Oilers' third goal. The shutout was Khabibulin's first of the season and 46th of his career.
No. 2 Star: Joffrey Lupul, Toronto Maple Leafs
In his second game back from suspension Lupul was the difference as his two goals in the third period helped give the Maple Leafs a 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers. Lupul scored 22 seconds into the final frame and then potted his second and the game winner 2:50 later. Ben Scrivens made 40 saves for his first win in five starts.
[Also: Mr. T scores from center ice during Chicago Blackhawks game]
No. 3 Star: Evander Kane, Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets downed the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 and it was Kane who had a hand in all four goals. He'd get credit for an own goal in the third period and helped set up the Jets' first three tallies to finish with a 4-point night. Ondrej Pavelec made 39 saves. The win moves Winnipeg six points ahead of Carolina in the Southeast Division standings.
Honorable mention: Goals from Nick Leddy and Brent Seabrook gave the Chicago Blackhawks enough of a cushion to hold on for a 2-0 win over the Calgary Flames. Ray Emery made 16 saves for his first shutout since Feb. 1, 2010, a span of 58 games. His record is now 12-0-0 this season ... Derek Stepan played a big role in New York's 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. His four points led all players, with his goal early in the second period giving the Rangers a commanding 3-0 lead. Rick Nash added two goals as the Rangers have now won 11 of their last 12 meetings with the Flyers. ... John Tavares scored his 20th of the season with 5:18 left in the third period to snap a 2-2 tie and give the New York Islanders a 3-2 win over the Washington Capitals. The Islanders blew a 2-0 first period lead before Tavares' goal helped end a 3-game winning streak for the Capitals ... Marc-Andre Fleury and Tomas Vokoun teamed up for a 1-0 shutout of the Montreal Canadiens thanks to 25 saves from Fleury and 12 by Vokoun. Fleury had to be relieved by Vokoun for the third period after this collision:
The Penguins said afterward Fleury will "continue to be evaluated". Sidney Crosby scored the only goal for the Penguins. He now has 23 points during their 13-game winning streak ... Steven Stamkos scored his 23rd in the first, then Martin St. Louis netted his eighth in the second period and that was enough for the Tampa Bay Lightning in their 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Mathieu Garon needed just 13 saves as the Lightning won with their new head coach, Jon Cooper, watching from a suite ... Cory Schneider made 17 saves in regulation and overtime and then stopped all four shootout attempts he faced as the Vancouver Canucks blanked the Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0. The shutout was Schneider's third of the season and seventh of his career.
Did You Know? John Tortorella became the 30th coach to reach 400 NHL wins. (AP)
Dishonorable mention: Calgary lost for the 10th straight time away from home ... Thomas Vanek left the game in the third period with an upper-body injury and did not return ... Jake Allen surrendered three goals on seven shots before being pulled early in the second period ... After their loss the Oilers, the Blues held a closed-door meeting for over an hour ... Jamie McBain scored tonight, but sadly for him and the Hurricanes, it was on his own goaltender:
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