NHL Three Stars: Hat-tricks for Kane, Namestnikov; Stralman’s spin-o-rama
No. 1 Star: Vladislav Namestnikov, Tampa Bay Lightning
Happy National Hat Day! Namestnikov needed overtime to complete the hat trick against the Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s the first of the forward’s career.
No. 2 Star: Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks forward took back over the Rocket Richard race in the NHL with at hat trick – the first hatty in the regular season for him – putting him at 28 goals on the season. He added an assist for good measure on Artemi Panarin’s power play goal. Chicago handled the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-1, for the ‘Hawks 10th straight win.
No. 3 Star: Jacob Markstrom, Vancouver Canucks
The netminder made 38 saves in the Canucks overtime win against the Carolina Hurricanes. Bo Horvat was credited with the game winning goal for Vancouver. It was his second tally on the night.
Honorable Mention: Getting the rare start for the Blackhawks, Scott Darling made 28 saves against Toronto. Artemi Panarin had 3 points. Chicago’s power play was 2-for-6 … Valtteri Filppula had 3 points for the Bolts. Andrei Vasilveskiy earned his 6th win with 36 saves. Patric Hornqvist produced a goal and 2 assists on 7 shots in the loss. Watch Anton Stralman’s spin-o-rama goal.
The Buffalo Sabres scored the first goal of the game and the Boston Bruins proceeded to score 4 straight. Jonas Gustavsson improved to 8-3-1 with 33 saves. Ryan Spooner had a goal and 2 assists for the Bruins … Connor Hellebuyck made 24 saves in his 11th win of the season. Blake Wheeler scored the only goal for the Jets in the 1-0 victory against the Wild … Jakob Silfverberg, Sami Vatanen, Hampus Lindholm, and Corey Perry scored in the Ducks 4-2 win over Dallas.
Did You Know? Patrick Sharp snapped a 12-game scoring streak against the Ducks.
Dishonorable Mention: Robin Lehner made is first appearance in net since October 8 when he was injured. He faced 27 shots in the 4-1 loss. Zemgus Girgensons was knocked out of the game with an upper-body injury after only 3:05 time on ice.
… Adam Lowry was a late scratch for the Winnipeg Jets … The Dallas Stars struggled after a week off. Kari Lehtonen allowed 4 goals in 15:37 of the first period. He was left in the game.
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Jen Neale is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter! Follow @MsJenNeale_PD.
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