NHL Three Stars: Malkin tricks Canucks; Varlamov denies Stars
No. 1 Star: Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins
Malkin recorded his 10th career hat trick as the Penguins overcame a 3-1 deficit to beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-4. He now has 19 points over his last 15 games for Pittsburgh. Kris Letang recorded a pair of assists and Sidney Crosby scored his fourth goal in four games and now has nine points in his last six games.
No. 2 Star: Semyon Varlamov, Colorado Avalanche
Varlamov won his fourth straight start and seventh in his last nine as the Avalanche defeated the Dallas Stars 3-1. Carl Soderberg and Gabriel Landeskog both scored shorthanded goals as Colorado beat the Stars for the 11th time in their last 12 meetings. Varlamov’s 42 saves were a season high.
No. 3 Star: Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks
Pavelski’s third point of the night turned out to be the game winning goal as the Sharks edged the Minnesota Wild 4-3. With 1:24 left in the third period, Pavelski put home his 23rd of the season to help give San Jose their seventh win in eight games. Joe Thornton contributed a pair of assists and now has 22 points in 17 games.
Honorable Mention: Malkin wasn’t the only player to record a hat trick in that Penguins-Canucks game. Jannik Hansen picked up his second career three-goal game in the losing effort.
Jason Pominville suited up for his 800th NHL game … Torey Krug and Ryan Spooner scored the only goals of the shootout as the Boston Bruins got by the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2. Jonas Gustavsson made 31 stops, while Brad Marchand scored in his fourth consecutive game … Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler each scored twice as the Anaheim Ducks got by the Detroit Red Wings 4-3. The win was Anaheim’s fourth in a row at Joe Louis Arena … Lars Eller’s goal in the shootout helped the Montreal Canadiens to a victory as they beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 to snap a five-game skid … Before the game, the Leafs honored Dave Keon, Turk Broda and Tim Horton:
A four-goal first period helped power the Florida Panthers to a 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Jonathan Huberdeau and Nick Bjugstad each scored and assisted on a goal as the Panthers have now dispatched both Stanley Cup finalists in consecutive nights … Lee Stempniak continued his great season by scoring twice as the Devils downed the Winnipeg Jets 3-1. Cory Schneider made 22 stops and Mike Cammalleri recorded two assists … Jordan Martinook’s goal 22 seconds into the third period was the difference as the Arizona Coyotes beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-2. Shane Doan picked up two points and is now four behind Dale Hawerchuk’s franchise record … Nick Shore scored for the Kings during a play where Coyotes netminder Louis Domingue took off his mask because his strap was down over his eyes:
Mattias Ekholm scored twice and Pekka Rinne made 23 saves as the Nashville Predators got by the Edmonton Oilers 4-1. Ekholm’s first goal of the night came in unique fashion as his shot went off Andrej Sekera’s head and got stuck in Cam Talbot’s pads before squeaking over the line:
Did You Know? Sr. Airman Brandon Pettit surprised his family during the Sharks game after being deployed in Qatar for the past six months:
Dishonorable Mention: The Blue Jackets have dropped three in a row … Tampa’s seven-game win streak ended … Mathieu Perreault was forced from the game with a lower-body injury … Dallas managed one goal while outshooting Colorado 43-15 … Milan Lucic was kicked out in the third period following a sucker-punch on Kevin Connauton.
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