Three Stars: Kuemper shuts down Avs; Getzlaf powers Ducks
No. 1 Star: Darcy Kuemper, Minnesota Wild
Kuemper made 30 saves in the Wild’s 3-0 whitewash of the Colorado Avalanche. Charlie Coyle, Jason Zucker and Zach Parise had the goals. Kuemper is now 2-0 on the season and 2-0 against the Avs, with two shutouts.
No. 2 Star: Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks
Getzlaf opened the scored and closed out the game for the Ducks, notching the game winner at 19:36 of the third period. The Ducks defeated the Detroit Red Wings, 3-2.
No. 3 Star: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Arizona Coyotes
OEL scored at 4:46 of overtime with Tyler Toffoli in the box for hooking, giving the Coyotes a 3-2 in over the Los Angeles Kings. Ekman-Larsson played 28:10 for Arizona in the game. Keith Yandle had three assists in the game.
Honorable Mention: Braden Holtby made 29 saves in a 4-0 shutout over the Boston Bruins, as Alex Ovechkin hit paydirt twice in the first period. … Sidney and Evgeni Malkin had a goal and two assists in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. … Granted, it was another losing effort, but Jiri Tlusty scored all three of the Carolina Hurricane’s goals in their 4-3 loss to the New York Islanders. Second-period goals by Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey were the difference. … The Ottawa Senators squeaked out a 3-2 shootout victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, with Kyle Turris and Mika Zibanejad scoring. … Mike Cammalleri scored his third of the season and Damon Severson scored his first NHL goal in the New Jersey Devils’ 5-1 blasting of the Florida Panthers. … P.A. Parenteau scored the line goal of the shootout in the Montreal Canadiens’ 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Wayne Simmonds had two goals in the loss. … Cam Atkinson scored twice as the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the New York Rangers, 5-2. … The St. Louis Blues scored the first four goals of the game, and cruised past the Calgary Flames. Kevin Shattenkirk and Paul Stastny had three assists. … Shea Weber and Paul Gaustad had a goal and an assist in the Nashville Predators’ 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars. … Marian Hossa scored a key shorthanded goal in the third period as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Buffalo Sabres, 6-2. Among those six goal scorers: Dan Carcillo (!) … Chris Higgins’ shootout goal completed an impressive Vancouver Canucks rally against the Edmonton Oilers. … Alex Stalock closed the door with 30 saves for the San Jose Sharks in their 3-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets.
Did You Know? Ron Hextall on a player like Chris Pronger getting the player safety gig. “I don't think that makes you worse at the job. In fact, I think it makes you better at the job. So I don't see that as a detriment.''
Dishonorable Mention: Chris Kreider was ejected for instigating a fight against the Blue Jackets, even if he was avenging a teammate:
Jay Harrison was given an instigator after a fight against Matt Martin. … Roberto Luongo was pulled after giving up five goals on 14 shots. … Andrej Meszaros as a minus-4. … Dustin Byfuglien was given a game misconduct for slamming his stick on the ice after a penalty. … Erik Johnson was ejected for an elbow to Erik Haula’s head.
