Stewart, Crosby, Duchene named NHL's 'Three Stars'
St. Louis Blues right wing Chris Stewart, Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby and Colorado Avalanche center Matt Duchene were named the NHL's "Three Stars" for the week.
Stewart led the league with six goals and an assist. He opened the week by scoring twice, his first multi-goal game of the season, in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 16. After Stewart was held off the scoresheet in a 4-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks last Tuesday, he responded with his 10th goal of the season in a 5-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. He capped the week with three goals and an assist, including the game-winning goal, for his third career hat trick in a 6-0 triumph over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
Crosby finished second among skaters with two goals and six assists in four games. He recorded the game-winning goal, the 33rd of his career, in a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 16. Crosby followed that up with two assists in each of the next two games: a 4-3 shootout win over the New York Rangers on Wednesday and a 5-2 triumph over the Minnesota Wild on Friday. He closed the week with a goal and two assists, his 16th multi-point performance of the season, in a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday.
Duchene led all players with seven assists and nine points, recording four multi-point performances. He had a goal and three assists in a back-to-back, home-and-home series with the Dallas Stars: a 6-2 victory on Dec. 16 (two assists) and a 3-2 loss Dec. 17 (one goal and one assist). Duchene then had a goal and two assists, his fourth three-point game of the season, in a 4-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. He capped the week by assisting on both Colorado goals in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Duchene is the first Avalanche player to record two or more points in four consecutive games since October 2008 (Paul Stastny).
