NHL Three Stars: Lehner, Halak provide shutouts; Skinner hits 20 goals
No. 1 Star: Robin Lehner, Buffalo Sabres
Lehner made 38 saves, earning his third career shutout and Jamie McGinn scored twice as the Sabres beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-0. He also mixed it up late in the game:
No. 2 Star: Jaroslav Halak, New York Islanders
Casey Cizikis provided the lone goal and Halak stopped 27 shots as the Islanders blanked the New Jersey Devils 1-0. The shutout was Halak’s third of the season and 39th of his career.
No. 3 Star: Jeff Skinner, Carolina Hurricanes
A pair of third period goals from Skinner helped him reach the 20-goal mark for the fourth time in his career and powered the Canes to a 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks. Cam Ward made 22 stops and hasn’t lost in regulation in his last 10 starts. Carolina hasn’t lost consecutive games in regulation since early December.
Honorable Mention: Jack Eichel recorded two assists and now has 27 points in his last 27 games … Goals from Paul Byron and Max Pacioretty in the shootout helped give the Montreal Canadiens a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Mike Condon made 35 saves, while P.K. Subban assisted on both Canadiens goals. The win helped snap a three-game losing streak for Montreal … Flyers rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere picked up an assist to extend his point streak to 14 games … Three second period goals helped power the Calgary Flames by the Vancouver Canucks 5-2. Mikael Backlund, Joe Colborne and Michael Frolik each had a goal and an assist. T.J. Brodie chipped in three helpers.
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Dishonorable Mention: Joonas Korpisalo allowed another long-range goal, this time to David Legwand … Boone Jenner was ejected for driving Zach Bogosian into the boards, setting off that late-game scrum … Vancouver has won seven times in regulation in their last 35 games. They’ve also lost four straight games by a 5-2 score … Jordin Tootoo was given a major and game misconduct for cross-checking Johnny Boychuck into the boards late in the second period. Boychuck would return to the game.
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