NHL Three Stars: Klingberg shines for Stars; blowouts, OT drama in NHL
No. 1 Star: John Klingberg, Dallas Stars
What more is there to say about the most electrifying defenseman on the most electrifying team in the NHL? Klingberg assisted on goals by Jason Spezza and Jamie Benn and then scored the game-winner in OT on a brilliant shot that beat Devan Dubnyk as the Stars topped the Minnesota Wild, 3-2.
No. 2 Star: Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
MacKinnon scored two goals just 13 seconds apart and assisted on Matt Duchene’s third-period power-play goal, as the Avs defeated the Montreal Canadiens, 6-1. Duchene and Mikhail Grigorenko had a goal and two assists.
No. 3 Star: James Reimer, Toronto Maple Leafs
Reimer made 43 saves in the Leafs’ 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks, getting an important insurance goal from Joffrey Lupul in the third period. Vancouver had 25 shots in the third. Should that Lupul goal have been allowed to stand?
Honorable Mention: Mats Zuccarello and Dan Boyle had the shootout goals as the New York Rangers defeated the Ottawa Senators, 2-1, in the skills competition. … Tuukka Rask made 22 saves and David Krejci scored goal No. 8 as the Boston Bruins defeated the Detroit Red Wings, 3-1. … Marc-Edouard Vlasic had a power-play goal and had the primary assist on Patrick Marleau’s OT game-winner in the San Jose Sharks’ 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres. … Roberto Luongo made 24 saves as the Florida Panthers outlasted the Tampa Bay Lightning in the shootout, 5-4. Aaron Ekblad’s power-play goal at 19:22 of the third sent it onto overtime. … Cory Schneider made 21 saves against a punchless Pittsburgh Penguins’ offense, as the New Jersey Devils won, 4-0. Mike Cammalleri had a goal and two assists. … Jakub Voracek scored his first of the season in overtime, as the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-2.
Boone Jenner had a goal and two assists in the Columbus Blue Jackets’ 5-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes. William Karlsson had two goals. … Calle Jarnkrok scored two goals and Craig Smith had a goal and two assists in the Nashville Predators’ 7-0 embarrassment of the Winnipeg Jets. … Two Vladimir Tarasenko goals weren’t enough for the St. Louis Blues, as the Chicago Blackhawks doubled them up, 4-2. Patrick Kane scored his 12th, extending his points streak to 12 games. … Tanner Pearson had a goal and two assists, including Nick Shore’s game-winner with 18:32 left in the third period, as the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Edmonton Oilers, 4-3. Taylor Hall scored his eighth.
Did You Know? Tim Peel officiated his 1,000th game on Saturday night.
Dishonorable Mention: Two apparent Vancouver Canucks goals were taken off the board via coach’s challenge. “I don’t know what this league’s turning into,” said Ryan Miller. “They both probably should have been goals.” … Mike Condon was pulled after giving up four goals on 11 shots. … Reto Berra still had to make 39 saves in the Avs’ win. … Shawn Thornton earned 14 PIMs, with two minors and a 10-minute misconduct. … Beau Bennett and Pascal Dupuis were both minus-3. … Jordan Eberle and Benoit Pouliot were a minus-3. … The Jets and Predators combined for 154 penalty minutes. … Michael Hutchinson was pulled after giving up three goals on seven shots. … Shane Doan was given 10 minutes and a game misconduct for an incident near the Columbus bench.
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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
