Schenn, Allen and Elliott Named NHL ‘Three Stars’ of the Week

NEW YORK – St. Louis Blues center Brayden Schenn, St. Louis Blues goaltender Jake Allen and Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending Dec. 10.

FIRST STAR – BRAYDEN SCHENN, C, ST. LOUIS BLUES

Schenn led the NHL with 6-1—7, including at least one goal in all four of his appearances, to power the Blues (21-8-2, 44 points) to a perfect week and the top of the Western Conference standings. He notched his third career hat trick, including the decisive goal, in a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens Dec. 5. Schenn then scored the winning goal in a 3-0 triumph against the Dallas Stars Dec. 7 and registered 1-1—2 in a 6-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings Dec. 9. He closed the week with another tally, marking the second four-game goal streak of his NHL career (also Jan. 8-14, 2017: 4-0—4 in 4 GP w/ PHI), in a 3-2 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres Dec. 10. The 26-year-old Saskatoon, Sask., native ranks fifth in the NHL with 16-21—37 in 31 outings this season. He also paces the League in game-winning goals (t-6), shootout-deciding goals (t-2) and plus/minus (+25).

SECOND STAR – JAKE ALLEN, G, ST. LOUIS BLUES

Allen went 4-0-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average, .944 save percentage and one shutout to guide the Blues to their third four-game winning streak of the season (also Oct. 4-10 and Oct. 25-30). He made 22 saves in a 4-3 victory against the Montreal Canadiens Dec. 5. Allen then turned aside all 29 shots he faced, earning his 16th career shutout in a 3-0 triumph over the Dallas Stars Dec. 7. He added a pair of weekend wins, recording 28 saves in a 6-1 victory against the Detroit Red Wings Dec. 9 and 22 stops in a 3-2 overtime triumph over the Buffalo Sabres Dec. 10. The 27-year-old Fredericton, N.B., native shares second place in the NHL with 17 victories in 26 contests this season (17-6-2), compiling a 2.54 goals-against average, .913 save percentage and one shutout.

THIRD STAR – BRIAN ELLIOTT, G, PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

Elliott posted a trio of victories – along with a 1.67 goals-against average and .954 save percentage – to help the Flyers (11-11-7, 29 points) bounce back from a 10-game skid (0-5-5) and complete a perfect road trip through Western Canada. He made 43 saves in a 5-2 victory over the Calgary Flames Dec. 4, 24 stops in a 4-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers Dec. 6 and 36 saves in a 4-1 triumph over the Vancouver Canucks Dec. 7. The 32-year-old Newmarket, Ont., native – who is in his first season with Philadelphia – owns a 9-6-6 record, 2.79 goals-against average and .912 save percentage through 22 appearances.

Brad Marchand leads 3 Stars of the Week

NEW YORK - Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand, Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby and Calgary Flames goaltender Brian Elliott have been named the NHL's "Three Stars" for the week ending March 19.

FIRST STAR - BRAD MARCHAND, LW, BOSTON BRUINS

Marchand led the NHL with 5-4-9 in three games - all multi-point performances - to power the Bruins (38-27-6, 82 points) to a pair of victories. He registered 3-1-4, including his second career hat trick (also Dec. 23, 2011 vs. FLA) and third four-point effort of the season, in a 6-3 triumph over the Vancouver Canucks March 13. Marchand added 1-1-2 in a 5-2 victory over the Calgary Flames March 15, halting the Flames' winning streak at 10 contests. He closed the week with 1-2-3 in a 7-4 loss to the Edmonton Oilers March 16, giving him multiple points in three straight outings for the third time this season (also Jan. 24 - Feb. 1: 6-3-9 in 4 GP and Feb. 23-28: 3-4-7 in 3 GP). The 28-year-old Halifax, N.S., native ranks second in the League with 37 goals and third with 79 points through 71 games this season, including an NHL-best 27 tallies and 48 points in 2017 (32 GP).

SECOND STAR - SIDNEY CROSBY, C, PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Crosby paced the League with six goals and ranked second with eight points in four starts to guide the Penguins (45-17-9, 99 points) to a 2-1-1 week. He recorded 1-1-2 in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Calgary Flames March 13. Crosby was held off the scoresheet in a 4-0 loss against the Philadelphia Flyers March 15, but bounced back with 2-1-3 in a 6-4 victory over the New Jersey Devils March 17. He capped the week with his 10th career three-goal game (and third career natural hat trick) in a 4-0 win against the Florida Panthers March 19. The 29-year-old Cole Harbour, N.S., native leads the NHL with 40 goals and 80 points in 65 games this season. Crosby's 40 goals are his second-best single-season total, behind the 51 he scored in 2009-10 en route to sharing the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy.

THIRD STAR - BRIAN ELLIOTT, G, CALGARY FLAMES

Elliott went 3-0-0 with a 1.95 goals-against average and .926 save percentage to help the Flames (41-27-4, 86 points) maintain third place in the Pacific Division. He made 32 saves - and turned aside all three attempts in the shootout - in a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins March 13. Elliott then made 24 stops in a 3-1 win against the Dallas Stars March 17 and 19 saves in a 5-2 triumph over the Los Angeles Kings March 19. In doing so, he earned his 11th consecutive victory (1.70 GAA, .942 SV%, 2 SO) to tie Mike Vernon (Jan. 17 - Feb. 27, 1989) for the longest such run by a goaltender in franchise history. The 31-year-old Newmarket, Ont., native owns a 23-13-3 record with a 2.46 goals-against average, .911 save percentage and two shutouts in 41 appearances this season, his first with the Flames.

Jagr, Elliott, Crosby named our 'Three Stars of the Night'

NEW YORK – UNB! Network NHL/hockey blog 'The Neutral Zone' has named Jarome Iginla, Gustav Nyquist, and Henrik Zetterberg as their 'Theee Stars of the Night' for the National Hockey League games taking place on March 16, 2017.

FIRST STAR - JAROMIR JAGR, F, FLORIDA PANTHERS

Jagr (104-165—269) passed Gordie Howe (113-155—268) for the most points by an NHL player after turning 40.

SECOND STAR - BRIAN ELLIOTT, G, CALGARY FLAMES

Elliott made 24 saves to extend his personal win streak to 10 games (1.67 GAA, .944 SV%, 2 SO).

THIRD STAR - SIDNEY CROSBY, F, PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Crosby collected 2-1—3 to help the Penguins (44-17-9, 97 points) move back into second place in the Metropolitan Division. Crosby also registered the 640th assist of his NHL career (all with Pittsburgh) and tied Jaromir Jagr for second on the Penguins all-time list.

Elliott, Murray, Kempe named our 'Three Stars of the Night'

NEW YORK – UNB! Network NHL/hockey blog 'The Neutral Zone' has named Brian Elliott, Matt Murray, and Adrian Kempe as their 'Theee Stars of the Night' for the National Hockey League games taking place on March 11, 2017.

FIRST STAR - BRIAN ELLIOTT, G, CALGARY FLAMES

Elliott earned his eighth straight win and improved to 12-1-1 in his last 14 decisions (1.86 GAA, .936 SV%, 2 SO).

SECOND STAR - MATT MURRAY, G, PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Murray registered his fourth shutout of the season to backstop the Penguins to their fifth consecutive win.

THIRD STAR - ADRIAN KEMPE, F, LOS ANGELES KINGS

Kempe (GWG) scored the first goal of his NHL career (11 GP) to help the Kings defeat the League-leading Capitals.

News & Notes: Brian Elliott backstops Flames to eighth straight win

FLAMES EXTEND WIN STREAK TO EIGHT GAMES

The Calgary Flames scored five unanswered goals and Brian Elliott made 24 saves for his first shutout of the season as the Flames beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-0 to extend their winning and point streaks to eight and 10 games (9-0-1), respectively. The Flames have an eight-game winning streak for the first time since they won eight in a row from Nov. 1-16, 2005.

* At 37-26-4 (78 points), the Flames increased their lead to seven points on the St. Louis Blues (33-27-5, 71 points) for the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference and tied the Edmonton Oilers (35-23-8, 78 points) in terms of points for third place in the Pacific Division. The Oilers, however, hold a game in hand.

* Elliott earned his seventh consecutive win and improved to 11-1-1 with a 2.00 goals-against average, .931 save percentage and one shutout in his past 13 decisions dating to Jan. 26.

THURSDAY'S RESULTS

Home Team in Caps

CAROLINA 4, NY Rangers 3
TORONTO 4, Philadelphia 2
TAMPA BAY 4, Minnesota 1
Anaheim 1, CHICAGO 0
COLORADO 3, New Jersey 2
CALGARY 5, Montreal 0
Ottawa 3, ARIZONA 2 (OT)
NY Islanders 4, VANCOUVER 3 (OT)
LOS ANGELES 3, Nashville 2 (OT)
SAN JOSE 4, Washington 2

SHARKS REACH 40-WIN MARK FOR FOURTH CONSECUTIVE SEASON

Brent Burns had three assists to help the Pacific Division-leading San Jose Sharks (40-19-7, 87 points) reach the 40-win mark for the fourth consecutive season and improve to 7-1-2 in their past 10 games.

* Burns is tied for second among all skaters with 70 points (27 goals, 43 assists) this season, five points shy of his NHL career high and single-season Sharks record for a defenseman (27-48-75 in 2015-16). Burns became the first defenseman to reach the 70-point mark in consecutive seasons since Mike Green in 2008-09 and 2009-10 with the Washington Capitals, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

KARLSSON GUIDES SENATORS TO FIFTH CONSECUTIVE VICTORY
Erik Karlsson (2-1-3) scored his second goal of the game 40 seconds into overtime to guide the Ottawa Senators to their fifth consecutive victory.

* At 38-22-6 (82 points), the Senators increased their lead to six points on the Boston Bruins (35-26-6, 76 points) for second place in the Atlantic Division and moved within two of the Canadiens (38-22-8, 84 points) for first. The Senators hold two games in hand and will face the Canadiens three more times this season: March 18, March 19 and March 25.

* Karlsson scored his fourth NHL regular-season overtime goal to pass Chris Phillips (three) for the most by a Senators defenseman in franchise history.

RACE FOR WILD CARD SPOTS CONTINUES IN EASTERN CONFERENCE

The tight race for wild card spots continued in the Eastern Conference, where positions 7-12 are separated by seven points:

* The New York Islanders surrendered a game-tying goal in the final 20 seconds of the third period, but Andrew Ladd scored in overtime as the Islanders earned a win in the penultimate contest of their season-high nine-game road trip (5-2-1). At 32-23-11 (75 points), the Islanders maintained their grip on the final wild card spot from the Eastern Conference.

* Four players scored as the Toronto Maple Leafs extended their home point streak to five games (3-0-2). William Nylander scored his ninth power-play goal of the season, tops among rookies. Elias notes that he tied the Maple Leafs record for most power-play goals in a season by a rookie, set by Dan Daoust and Walt Poddubny in 1982-83 and matched by Alexander Steen in 2005-06. At 30-22-14 (74 points), the Maple Leafs remained a point behind the Islanders.

* Nikita Kucherov (2-1-3) factored on three of four goals to power the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 9-2-3 record in their past 14 games. Kucherov (30-36-66) has recorded 17 points (nine goals, assists) in his past eight games and reached the 30-goal mark for the second straight season. At 31-26-9 (71 points), the Lightning are three points behind the Maple Leafs. The Lightning and Maple Leafs will play against each other two more times this season, March 16 and April 6.

LOOSE PUCKS

Jarome Iginla scored his first two goals in a Los Angeles Kings uniform, including a goal in overtime, to move the Kings (32-28-6, 70 points) within a point of the final wild card from the Western Conference. … Corey Perry scored and Jonathan Bernier turned aside all 43 shots he faced as the Anaheim Ducks (35-22-10, 80 points) blanked the Chicago Blackhawks. Bernier had his second shutout of the season and won his 100th NHL game. … Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau (1-3-4) had his second four-point game of the season, while teammate T.J. Brodie had an assist to extend his point streak to five games (2-4-6). … Carolina Hurricanes forward Valentin Zykov scored 13:44 into his NHL debut. … Senators forward Christopher DiDomenico also made his League debut. … Pittsburgh Penguins forward Tom Sestito was suspended four games by the NHL Department of Player Safety for boarding Winnipeg Jets defenseman Toby Enstrom. … The NHL Centennial Fan Arena will visit Ottawaon March 16, 18 and 19. … The Sharks honored forward Joe Thornton in a pregame ceremony for reaching the 1,000-assist milestone Monday. … Arizona Coyotes forward Radim Vrbata skated in the 1,000th game of his NHL career.


SNEAK PEEK AT FRIDAY'S ACTION

All Times Eastern
Buffalo @ Columbus, 7 p.m., FS-O, MSG-B, NHL.TV
Chicago @ Detroit, 7:30 p.m., SN, NHLN, FS-D, CSN-CH, NHL.TV
Minnesota @ Florida, 7:30 p.m., FS-F, FS-N+, NHL.TV
Anaheim @ St. Louis, 8 p.m., FS-MW, PRIME, NHL.TV
Pittsburgh @ Edmonton, 9 p.m., TVA Sports, SNW, ROOT, NHL.TV

OILERS HOSTS PENGUINS IN SECOND MCDAVID-CROSBY MATCHUP

Oilers captain Connor McDavid will face Penguins captain Sidney Crosby for the second time when the teams play at Rogers Place. McDavid leads the League in points with 74 (22 goals, 52 assists) in 66 games, while Crosby leads the NHL with 34 goals in 59 games. The Penguins are 9-0-3 in their past 12 games against the Oilers dating to Dec. 5, 2007 (EDM: 3-9-0), including a 5-0-1 record as visitors.

- NHL Public Relations

Flames acquire Brian Elliott from Blues

"The Neutral Zone" Staff Report

BUFFALO, NY – The Calgary Flames on Friday at the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo acquired goaltender Brian Elliott from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a 2016 second round pick (35th overall) and a conditional 2017 third round pick.

Elliott, Blues hang on to defeat Sharks in Game 1

Game Recap from NHL.com.

ST. LOUIS -- Jori Lehtera scored the go-ahead goal in the second period, and Brian Elliott made 31 saves to help the St. Louis Blues to a 2-1 win against the San Jose Sharks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final at Scottrade Center on Sunday.

Game 2 is in St. Louis on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports).

David Backes scored a power-play goal for St. Louis, which is 4-4 at home in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"We haven't played a team like this," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "The other two series [against the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars] were similar. This series, and this team that we're playing against, is completely different. This is no different than playing Los Angeles. They're a heavy, hard team, strong on the puck, a lot of wall battles. We haven't had a series like this.

"It took us two periods just to get close to the emotional level on the compete side to get going. We'll be a lot better in Game 2."

Tomas Hertl scored his first goal in seven games for the Sharks, who lost their fourth straight on the road in the postseason.Martin Jones made 21 saves.

"I think we were a little tentative to start the game," San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said. "I thought the first period was a little feeling out. We talked between the first and second, started to play our game in the second period and really I thought in the second period ... the tragedy of the second period was we spent the whole period in their end and lost the period 1-0. That was basically the game."

The Sharks outshot the Blues 16-5 in the second, but Lehtera put the St. Louis ahead 2-1 at 9:15 after picking off a Brent Burnspass in the neutral zone, skating in and taking a slap shot from the top of the left circle that beat Jones.

"I just got the puck, then I closed my eyes and shot it," Lehtera said. "That's about it. ... We just kind of keep it simple."

Jones was frustrated a shot he felt he should have saved decided the game.

"Not much to it, just found a hole ... it [stinks] that it decided the game, but nothing really to panic over," Jones said. "I'll make that save next time."
 
Elliott made his best save of the second period on Joe Pavelski's one-timer from the slot off a Joe Thornton pass at 10:46.

"He's obviously a good player, a guy that leads their team" Elliott said of Pavelski. "It's really nothing more than just trying to stop every puck. It's not who's shooting it that really matters. It's trying to get in the way.

"When a guy like Jori goes down and gets you the lead, you just want to keep it, limit their chances they have, try to cover some pucks and let the guys do the rest. You don't really think about who's shooting it."

The Blues caught a break with 1:14 left in the second when a quick whistle negated a Sharks goal that would have tied it 2-2.Melker Karlsson's dump-in was blown dead after Elliott appeared to control the puck, but the Blues goalie never had it and kicked it into his net.

"The whistle blows and everyone stops," Backes said. "[Elliott] just keeps momentum to where that loose puck is. Three guys notice it, but the whistle's already blown."

St. Louis forward Patrik Berglund thought he opened the scoring at 11:35 of the first period when he tipped Jay Bouwmeester's shot and it was inadvertently put in by San Jose defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The goal was waved off, though, because Berglund made incidental contact with Jones. The Blues challenged the call on the ice, but it was confirmed by video review.

"Well, it was varying information, so it seemed like the right thing to do," Hitchcock said of the challenge. "When I looked at [Berglund], I saw [Berglund] absorb the puck and he's looking back on it and he might have been a little deep."

Backes, who had a game-high 11 hits in 18:33 of ice time, put St. Louis ahead 1-0 when he tipped Kevin Shattenkirk's shot from the point past Jones at 15:04 of the first.

"One thing I never have to worry about is [Backes] being in front of the net when I shoot it," Shattenkirk said. "For me to get that shot off, have it deflect before it gets to him and him still get a piece of it is amazing. That's where he's so valuable."

Hertl tied it 1-1 34 seconds after Backes scored. Pavelski initially redirected Burns' shot from the right point, then the puck hit off Hertl's right skate and got past Elliott.

Jones' best save came with a little less than 12 minutes remaining when he denied Paul Stastny in the slot off a slick feed fromRobby Fabbri.

The Blues penalty kill was 3-for-3. The Sharks were 13-for-42 (30.9 percent) on the power play coming into the series.

"Our special teams were excellent," Hitchcock said. "Our [power play] was excellent and our [penalty kill] was even better. They were both good. They were the reason for the victory."

Blues Place Elliott on Injured Reserve

Statement from the Blues website.

Brian Elliott (Getty Images)

ST. LOUIS - Blues goalie Brian Elliott has been placed on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury and will be re-evaluated in four weeks.

Elliott was injured Monday while attempting to make a save during a goal-mouth scramble with 7:01 remaining in the first period. After being attended to by Head Medical Trainer Ray Barile, Elliott left the game and did not return.

Jake Allen, who was serving as the backup in his first game since Jan. 8 due to injury, took over between the pipes.

The Blues have recalled goaltender Pheonix Copley from the Chicago Wolves. Copley recently served as the backup goaltender when Allen was out and is 12-12-2 with a 2.73 goals-against average and a .907 save-percentage with the Wolves this season.

Elliott has played in 34 games for the Blues, registering a 17-7-6 record. He ranks fifth in the League in goals against average (2.14) and third in save percentage (.929) while his recent stretch of 18 consecutive starts is the longest by any goaltender this season.