NHL 3 Stars: Blackhawks still unbeaten in regulation; Dupuis leads Penguins over Sabres

Justin Williams loves Ray Emery.

No. 1 Star: Pascal Dupuis, Pittsburgh Penguins

Dupuis had a 3-point night -- 2 goals and an assist -- in the Penguins' 4-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres. They were big goals, too. Dupuis scored the game's first at 0:35 of the opening frame, then scored the game-tying goal on a beautiful one-timer at 7:06 of the third.

No. 2 Star: Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks

There were a lot of great centres in this game, but none better than Jonathan Toews, who led the Blackhawks to a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings, pushing their run of games without a regulation loss to a staggering 15. Toews scored a powerplay goal, set up Patrick Sharp for the game-winner in the second period, and won 13 of 19 faceoffs, including 7 of 8 in the offensive zone. Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith had two-point nights from the back end.

No. 3 Star: Mike Richards, Los Angeles Kings

Not content to be upstaged by Toews, Richards did his best to drag the Kings back into the game, scoring twice in the third period to trim the deficit to one.

Honourable mention: The Minnesota Wild edged the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 thanks to two goals in 32 seconds. The first of the two was scored by Jason Zucker. It was his first NHL goal. Torrey Mitchell scored the winner... Brad Marchand scored the game-winner in the Boston Bruins' 3-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets just 36 seconds into the third period. It was a powerplay goal, as Marchand had drawn a penalty seconds earlier after being tripped on a breakaway off the period's opening faceoff... After entering the third period down 3-1, the Calgary Flames had three players -- Steve Begin, Roman Horak, and Matt Stajan -- score their first goals of the season to steal a 4-3 victory over the Dallas Stars... Thomas Vanek had a goal and an assist for the Sabres, and Ryan Miller made some big saves -- none bigger than this one:

Braden Holtby made 38 saves for the Washington Capitals versus the New York Rangers. Unfortunately, he needed to make 40, as the Rangers skated away with a 2-1 win. And really, Holtby wasn't saving Derek Stepan's game-winner, not after this crisp puck movement.

... Andy McDonald and T.J. Oshie scored in the shootout at the St. Louis Blues overcame late goal by the Vancouver Canucks for a 4-3 win.

Did You Know? Sidney Crosby also had a 3-point night for the Penguins. It was his 5th 3-point game this month.

Dishonourable mention: The Sabres blew a 3-2 lead in the third period versus the Penguins, and Ryan Miller was visibly upset and not entirely making sense about it after the game. Here's what frustrated him the most, via Buffalo Hockey Beat:

... the Dallas Stars led 3-1 going into the third and left without a point.