Malkin, Bergeron and Bernier Named NHL ‘Three Stars’ for January

NEW YORK – Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin, Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron and Colorado Avalanche goaltender Jonathan Bernier have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the month of January.

FIRST STAR – EVGENI MALKIN, C, PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Malkin led the NHL with 12 goals and ranked second with 19 points in 12 games (12-7—19) to lift the Penguins (28-21-3, 59 points) to a 9-3-0 January and second place in the Metropolitan Division. He collected at least one point in eight of his 12 contests, highlighted by four three-point performances. Those included his 12th career hat trick Jan. 30 vs. SJS (3-0—3) and 22nd career four-point outing Jan. 13 vs. DET (2-2—4). Malkin also scored three game-winning goals, headlined by his 12th career overtime winner Jan. 7 vs. BOS. The 31-year-old Magnitogorsk, Russia, native shares fifth place in the NHL with 26 goals and sits 11th overall with 55 points through 48 contests this season. That includes a League-best 19 goals and 34 points in 26 outings since the start of December.

SECOND STAR – PATRICE BERGERON, C, BOSTON BRUINS

Bergeron ranked second in the NHL with nine goals and fourth with 17 points in 11 games (9-8—17) to guide the Bruins (29-11-8, 66 points) to an 8-1-2 January and within five points of first place in the overall League standings. He found the scoresheet in nine of his 11 appearances, headlined by a career-high four goals and five points (tied) Jan. 6 vs. CAR. In doing so, Bergeron became the first Boston player to score four goals in one game since Oct. 28, 1999 (Dave Andreychuk). The 32-year-old Ancienne-Lorette, Que., native and four-time Frank J. Selke Trophy winner sits third on the Bruins with 20-22—42 in 43 outings this season. He now has reached the 20-goal milestone in nine of his 14 NHL campaigns, including five straight.

THIRD STAR – JONATHAN BERNIER, G, COLORADO AVALANCHE

Bernier posted a League-high eight wins, compiling a 2.10 goals-against average, .939 save percentage and one shutout in 11 games to propel the Avalanche (27-18-4, 58 points) to an 8-2-1 January. He yielded two or fewer goals in seven of his 11 appearances, including his 16th career shutout Jan. 4 vs. CBJ (34 SV). Bernier also made a season-high 45 saves Jan. 18 vs. SJS (5-3 W), three shy of his career best set Dec. 5, 2013 (w/ TOR). The 29-year-old Laval, Que., native – who won a career-high nine straight games from Dec. 31 – Jan. 22 (1.53 GAA, .955 SV%, 1 SO) – owns a 14‑9‑2 record with a 2.67 goals-against average, .917 save percentage and two shutouts in 25 outings this season.

Zibanejad, Desharnais, Malkin named our 'Three Stars of the Night'

NEW YORK -- UNB! Network NHL/hockey blog "The Neutral Zone" has named Mika Zobanejad, David Desharnais, and Evgeni Malkin as their 'Three Stars of the Night' for all NHL playoff games taking place on April 20, 2017.

FIRST STAR - MIKA ZIBANEJAD, F, NEW YORK RANGERS

Zibanejad scored 14:22 into overtime as the Rangers took a 3-2 series lead over Montreal.

SECOND STAR - DAVID DESHARNAIS, F, EDMONTON OILERS

Desharnais scored 18:15 into overtime as the Oilers took a 3-2 series lead over San Jose.

THIRD STAR - EVGENI MALKIN, F, PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Pittsburgh's first-round series marked the second time in his career that Malkin (2-9—11) recorded 11 points in a #StanleyCup Playoff series (also 2013 CQF).

Malkin keen to go to Olympics, hopes Pittsburgh will let him

Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) -- Evgeni Malkin wants to go to the Olympics next February and he hopes the Pittsburgh Penguins will allow him.

Malkin told Russian sports daily Sovetsky Sport he was surprised by the NHL's announcement Monday that it wouldn't halt its season for players to go to South Korea. He says "there's nothing good about this at all."

He also questions why talks didn't continue for longer, pointing out that a final decision on the 2014 Olympics wasn't reached until July 2013.

If Malkin is allowed to go the Olympics by Pittsburgh, he could join fellow Russian star Alex Ovechkin and his Washington Capitals teammates Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Orlov, who have said they want to play in South Korea.

News & Notes: Evgeni Malkin, Nick Bonino lead Penguins past Jets

BONINO, MALKIN LIFT PENGUINS TO VICTORY

Nick Bonino (3-0-3) and Evgeni Malkin (2-1-3) each had three points to help the Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the Winnipeg Jets 7-4. The Penguins (41-16-8, 90 points) moved back into a tie in terms of points with the idle Columbus Blue Jackets (42-17-6, 90 points) for second place in the Metropolitan Division.

* Bonino had his second NHL hat trick and first since Feb. 2, 2013 when he had three goals and an assist against the Los Angeles Kings while playing for the Anaheim Ducks. It also marked Bonino's fourth NHL multigoal game, and first since Nov. 4, 2014 at the Colorado Avalanche while playing for the Vancouver Canucks.

* Malkin (31-39-70), who had his sixth three-point game of the season, reached the 30-goal milestone for the fifth time in his 11 NHL seasons and the first time since scoring an NHL career-high 50 goals in 2011-12.

WEDNESDAY'S RESULTS

Home Team in Caps

Ottawa 5, DALLAS 2
Pittsburgh 7, WINNIPEG 4
BOSTON 6, Detroit 1

SENATORS, BRUINS KEEP PACE IN ATLANTIC DIVISION RACE

The Ottawa Senators (37-22-6, 80 points) and Boston Bruins (35-26-6, 76 points), are second and third place, respectively, each won to keep pace in the Atlantic Division race:

* Craig Anderson made 35 saves for his 146th victory in a Senators uniform (282 GP) to tie Patrick Lalime (283 GP) for the most wins by a goaltender in Senators history. Anderson improved to 8-2-0 with a 1.80 goal-against average, .944 save percentage and one shutout in his past 10 games, dating to Feb. 11.

* Brad Marchand (2-0-2) and David Krejci (2-1-3) each scored twice to lift the Bruins to a 9-3-0 record under coach Bruce Cassidy. Marchand, who reached the 70-point milestone for the first time in his career (32-38-70), leads the NHL with 22 goals and 39 points since Jan. 1 (28 GP).

DID YOU KNOW?

Penguins teammates Sidney Crosby (34-36-70) and Evgeni Malkin (31-39-70) as well as Bruins forward Brad Marchand (32-38-70), moved into a share of second place in the Art Ross Trophy race, behind the Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid (22-52-74). The Chicago Blackhawks' Patrick Kane (29-41-70) also has 70 points in 2016-17.

LOOSE PUCKS
Matt Murray made 31 saves for his 25th victory of 2016-17 to set a single-season Penguins record for wins by a rookie goaltender, surpassing the 24 wins by Gary Inness in 1974-75. … Dallas Stars forward Jason Spezza (1-1-2) extended his point streak to five games (4-3-7). … Penguins defenseman Chad Ruhwedel set NHL career highs with three assists/points. … Senators defenseman Fredrik Claesson (36 GP) scored his first NHL goal, while Stars forward Remi Elie had an assist for his first NHL point (3 GP).

SNEAK PEEK AT THURSDAY'S ACTION

All Times Eastern

NY Rangers @ Carolina, 7 p.m., FS-CR, MSG, NHL.TV
Philadelphia @ Toronto, 7:30 p.m., TVA Sports, NHLN, SNO, CSN-PH, NHL.TV
Minnesota @ Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m., SUN, FS-N, FS-WI, NHL.TV
Anaheim @ Chicago, 8:30 p.m., CSN-CH, KCOP-13, NHL.TV
New Jersey @ Colorado, 9 p.m., ALT, MSG+, NHL.TV
Montreal @ Calgary, 9 p.m., SNW, SNE, RDS, NHL.TV
Ottawa @ Arizona, 9 p.m., FS-A, RDS2, TSN5, NHL.TV
NY Islanders @ Vancouver, 10 p.m., SNP, MSG, NHL.TV
Nashville @ Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m., SN360 SNO, FS-W, FS-TN, NHL.TV
Washington @ San Jose, 10:30 p.m., CSN-CA, CSN-DC, NHL.TV

WINNING STREAKS ON THE LINE

The three hottest teams in the NHL, the Chicago Blackhawks (42-18-5, 89 points), Montreal Canadiens (38-21-8, 84 points) and Calgary Flames (36-26-4, 76 points), all look to extend winning streaks Thursday:

* Two of those streaks go head-to-head when the Canadiens put their six-game run on the line against the Flames, who have won seven straight. The Canadiens hold a four-point lead on the Senators (37-22-6, 80 points) atop the Atlantic Division. The Flames are two points behind the Ducks (34-22-10, 78 points) for third place in the Pacific Division.

* The Blackhawks, also winners of seven straight, face the Ducks at United Center. The Blackhawks are one point behind the Minnesota Wild (42-16-9, 90 points) -- who play at the Tampa Bay Lightning (30-26-9, 69 points) -- for first place in the Central Division and Western Conference.

- NHL Public Relations

News & Notes: Malkin powers Penguins to another home win

MALKIN POWERS PENGUINS IN MILESTONE GAME

Evgeni Malkin notched 2-1-3 while playing in his 700th NHL game and Mark Streit (1-1-2), who was acquired in a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday, scored the game-winning goal in his debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are 19-2-2 in their past 23 home games.

* At 39-16-8 (86 points), the Penguins pulled even in points with the Columbus Blue Jackets (40-16-6, 86 points) for second place in the Metropolitan Division. Columbus has played one fewer game.

* Malkin, who also has reached milestones for career goals, assists and points this season (323-502-825), had his fifth three-point game of 2016-17 and the 74th such performance of his 11-season NHL career, all of which has been spent with the Penguins.

* Malkin ranks second on the Penguins with 28 goals, matching his highest total since 2011-12 when he scored a career-high 50 en route to winning his second Art Ross Trophy as the League's top point-getter (50-59-109 in 75 GP).

FRIDAY'S RESULTS

Home team in CAPS

PITTSBURGH 5, Tampa Bay 2
Arizona 4, CAROLINA 2
WINNIPEG 3, St. Louis 0
CHICAGO 2, NY Islanders 1 (SO)
CALGARY 3, Detroit 2 (OT)
ANAHEIM 5, Toronto 2

CLUBS EARN CRUCIAL WINS IN WESTERN PLAYOFF RACE

The Chicago Blackhawks (41-18-5, 87 points) and Calgary Flames (35-26-4, 74 points) each extended their winning streaks to six games in contests that featured late tying goals, and the Anaheim Ducks (33-21-10, 76 points) won in their return from their bye to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race:

* Artemi Panarin tied the game with 1:14 remaining in the third period and scored again in the shootout as Chicago rallied for their 11th win in their past 12 games. Panarin reached the 20-goal mark for the second time in as many NHL seasons. The Blackhawks moved within one point of the idle Minnesota Wild (41-15-6, 88 points) for first place in the Western Conference. Minnesota holds two games in hand.

* The Flames yielded a tying goal with 1.8 seconds left in regulation, but Mikael Backlund scored in overtime, his 20th goal of the season, to help Calgary improve to 11-2-1 in its past 14 games. The Flames, who also went 6-0-0 from Nov. 30 - Dec. 10, 2016, have multiple win streaks of at least six games in the same season for the first time since 2006-07.

* Rickard Rakell (2-0-2) scored twice, including the eventual game-winning goal 16 seconds after Jakob Silfverberg (1-0-1) tied the score, to help the Ducks to their third straight home win. Jonathan Bernier made 37 saves to earn the victory against his former club. The Ducks moved past the idle Edmonton Oilers (34-22-8, 76 points) into second place in the Pacific Division, where seeds No. 2-4 are separated by two points.

LOOSE PUCKS

Connor Hellebuyck (29 saves) had his fourth shutout of the season to move within one of tying the single-season Jets/Thrashers franchise record and lift Winnipeg within four points of a playoff spot. … Matt Murray (27 saves) earned his 24th win of 2016-17 to tie Gary Inness (24-18-10 in 1974-75) for the most wins in a season by a Penguins rookie goaltender. … Lightning forward Adam Erne , a second-round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, scored his first career goal (7 GP). … Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews scored the deciding goal in the shootout while playing in his 700th game. … Mathieu Perreault (3-7-10 in 6 GP), Dustin Byfuglien (2-4-6 in 6 GP) and Nikita Kucherov (7-6-13 in 5 GP) each extended point streaks. … The Panthers welcomed the Stanley Cup for Day 2 of the NHL Centennial Fan Arena's three-day stop in South Florida. … Alex Ovechkin delivered pizza to unsuspecting Washington Capitals fans as part of a charity benefit.

SNEAK PEEK AT SATURDAY'S ACTION

All Times Eastern

Colorado @ Winnipeg, 7 p.m., SN, ALT2
New Jersey @ Boston, 7 p.m., NESN, MSG+
Montreal @ NY Rangers, 7 p.m., NHLN, CBC, TVA Sports, MSG
Tampa Bay @ Buffalo, 7 p.m., MSG-B, SUN
Dallas @ Florida, 7 p.m., FS-F, FS-SW
Columbus @ Ottawa, 7 p.m., CITY, FS-O
Philadelphia @ Washington, 7:30 p.m., CSN-DC, CSN-PH
Chicago @ Nashville, 8 p.m., FS-TN, CSN-CH
Vancouver @ Los Angeles, 10 p.m., SN, FS-W
Detroit @ Edmonton, 10 p.m., CBC, FS-D

DIVISIONAL RACES SPOTLIGHT HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA SCHEDULE

Five of the 10 games on Saturday's schedule will be part of the Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, highlighted by two key matchups in the Eastern Conference playoff picture: The Atlantic Division-leading Montreal Canadiens (36-21-8, 80 points) aim for a fifth straight win when they visit the New York Rangers (41-21-2, 84 points), who hold the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the East and are two points out of second place in the Metropolitan Division. The Blue Jackets (40-16-6, 86 points), who occupy the No. 2 seed and have two games in hand on New York, visit the Ottawa Senators (34-22-6, 74 points), who begin the night six points in back of Montreal with three games in hand. In the other three contests, the Colorado Avalanche (17-42-3, 37 points) visit the Winnipeg Jets; the Vancouver Canucks (26-30-7, 59 points) face off with the Los Angeles Kings (31-27-6, 68 points); and the Detroit Red Wings (25-26-11, 61 points) visit the Edmonton Oilers (34-22-8, 76 points).

CAPITALS LOOK TO EXTEND STREAKS AT VERIZON CENTER

After establishing franchise-records streaks for home wins (14) and point streak (15-0-1) in their previous game, the League-leading Capitals (43-13-7, 93 points) continue their pursuit of a second straight Presidents' Trophy when they welcome the Philadelphia Flyers (30-26-7, 67 points). Philadelphia is four points behind the Islanders (30-22-11, 71 points) for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

- NHL Public Relations

Malkin, Streit, Panarin named our 'Three Stars of the Night'

NEW YORK – UNB! Network NHL/hockey blog 'The Neutral Zone' has named Evgeni Malkin, Mark Streit and Artemi Panarin as their 'Theee Stars of the Night' for the National Hockey League games taking place on March 3, 2017.

FIRST STAR - EVGENI MALKIN, F, PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Playing in his 700th NHL game, Malkin (2-1—3) posted his 74th career three-point game to lead the Penguins to victory. Malkin scored his 28th goal of the season to match his highest single-season total since he tallied 50 during the 2011-12 campaign.

SECOND STAR - MARK STREIT, D, PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Streit (1-1—2) scored the GWG in his @penguins debut as PIT improved to 11-1-0 in their last 12 regular-season home games vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning.

THIRD STAR - ARTEMI PANARIN, F, CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

Panarin tied the game w/ 1:14 remaining in the third & also scored in the shootout as the Blackhawks won their sixth straight game.

Evgeni Malkin to miss NHL All-Star Game

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin will miss the 2017 Honda NHL All-Star Game because of injury.

"Geno is out for tomorrow's game and the All-Star Game with a lower-body injury," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said after practice Wednesday.

The Penguins visit the Boston Bruins on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; NESN, ROOT, TVA Sports, NHL.TV), their final game before the break. The All-Star Game will be held at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, SN, TVA Sports).

Malkin has 22 goals and is tied with Sidney Crosby for the team lead with 54 points.

Though Sullivan didn't say when the injury occurred, Malkin absorbed a hit in the corner from defenseman Joel Edmundson during the St. Louis Blues' 3-0 win at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday. He was wincing in pain and couldn't put any weight on his left leg, but did finish the game.

Sullivan said Malkin will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break.

"We'll probably have more information at that point," Sullivan said.

The Penguins also announced that forward Patric Hornqvist is day to day with a lower-body injury.

- NHL

Penguins lose three players for next two games; Fleury making progress

"The Neutral Zone" Staff Report

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced on Thursday that players Olli Maatta, Bryan Rust, and Evgeni Malkin will miss the next two games with injuries.

As a corresponding move, the Penguins have recalled forward Tom Destino from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League.

Fleury making progress: Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan on Thursday said that the team's starting goaltender Marc Andre Fleury is making progress from his injury.

"He is making significant progress," Sullivan said. "He is an important part of this team."