Edmonton’s Taylor Hall, Colorado’s Semyon Varlamov and Montreal’s Max Pacioretty have been named the three stars of the week, the league announced on Monday.
Hall, the first star, led all skaters with seven assists and nine points last week, registering a least a point in all four of Edmonton’s games. One of the few bright spots for the Oilers this year, Hall now ranks seventh in the NHL in scoring -- with a career-high 77 points -- to go along with career bests in goals (27), assists (50) and, perhaps most importantly, games played (72).
Varlamov, the second star, went 3-0-1 last week with a 1.42 GAA and .950 save percentage as the Avs remained in second in the ultra-tight Central Division, and remained within striking distance of St. Louis for first place. The highlights of Varlamov’s week were 1) a 31-save shutout over the Blues on Apr. 5 -- his second shutout of the year -- and 2) registering his 40th win of the year, which tied head coach Patrick Roy’s franchise record for most wins in a season.
Pacioretty, the third star, tied for the NHL lead with four goals as the Canadiens moved four points clear of likely first round opponent Tampa Bay for second place in the Atlantic Division, and the home ice advantage that goes along with it. The highlight of Pacioretty’s week was scoring a hat trick, five points and his NHL-best 11th game-winning goal in a 7-4 win over the Senators on Friday.
