No. 1 Star: Jhonas Enroth, Buffalo Sabres
Pressing into duty after Ryan Miller was scratched (and is day-to-day with an upper body injury) Enroth made some key stops in back of a stout defensive performance by the Sabres in their 1-0 win over the New York Rangers. It was his first start in 17 days, playing in front of his parents for the first time in two years and against his idol Henrik Lundqvist. Tim Connolly had the lone goal in the second period on the power play.
No. 2 Star: Jeff Skinner, Carolina Hurricanes
Skinner helped the Hurricanes keep pace with the Sabres, scoring two first-period goals and assisting on another in Carolina's 6-2 rout of the Montreal Canadiens. Jamie McBain also had two goals, including a second-period tally that ended up being the game-winner. Cam Ward made 38 saves, as the Canes remained three points in back of the Sabres and closed to within three of the Rangers. Here's the second of Skinner's goals, a nasty backhander:
No. 3 Star: Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks
Perry moved ahead in the goal-scoring race with a pair of tallies for the Ducks, as Anaheim dealt the Calgary Flames' playoff hopes a fatal blow with a 4-2 victory. Perry scored his 45th goal of the season to break a 1-1 tie in the first; goal No. 46 was an empty netter that iced the win.
Honorable mention: The St. Louis Blues absolutely curb-stomped the shorthanded Detroit Red Wings at the Joe, 10-3. Chris Porter had two goals and an assist; Chris Stewart and Vlad Sobotka had a goal and two assists. All but three Blues (and Jaro Halak) had at least a point. Even Cam Janssen got in on the act, scoring a goal for the first time in 114 games. … Andy Greene's third-period goal overcame a two-goal comeback led by Frans Nielsen, as the New Jersey Devils defeated the New York Islanders, 3-2. Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and an assist. … Nielsen tied the Islanders record for short-handed goals in a season. … Ray Emery's storybook comeback continues, as he improved to 6-0-0 for the Ducks. … Jarome Iginla scored his 37th in the loss. He also assisted on Mark Giordano's power-play goal in the third. …
Did you know? Enroth became the first Buffalo goalie besides Ryan Miller to earn a shutout since Jocelyn Thibault on April 5, 2008. (Buffalo News)
Dishonorable mention: Nightmarish game for the Red Wings, who saw goalies Joey MacDonald (7 goals on 39 shots) and ECHL call-up Thomas McCollum (3 goals on8 shots) shellacked. According to the AP, the last time Detroit gave up eight goals in the first 40 minutes of the game was March 3, 1986. … Jiri Hudler was a minus-3, while Henrik Zetterberg, Brian Rafalski and Nicklas Lidstrom were all minus-3. … Carey Price was pulled after giving up 4 goals on 26 shots; Alex Auld then surrendered 2 goals on 9 shots. … Every player on the Habs except for Jeff Halpern played to a minus in the Carolina loss. … They don't make glass like they used to in Raleigh. … Finally, this Ryan Getzlaf play that may have helped the officials rule a no-goal for the Calgary Flames is equal parts hilarity and travesty.
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