It’s been a good week for Jarome Iginla. Last night Iginla joined a prestigious club of players who have scored 30 or more goals in 10 or more straight seasons. Only nine other players in NHL history have done that and now Iginla is rewarded as the NHL’s number one star of the week due to his huge offensive output for the past week.
Iginla was the NHL’s top scorer last week with five goals and three assists and he’s helped lead Calgary into playoff position in the Western Conference. It’s quite the feat for the Flames captain considering how poorly the team started the season. Having them in a position now to get in the playoffs speaks volumes about his leadership and the way the team has rallied around him.
Coming out of nowhere to have a huge week was Buffalo defenseman Andrej Sekera. Sekera finished the week with one goal and seven assists in helping the Sabres earn seven out of eight possible points last week and getting the team into the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference for the time being and earned the NHL’s second star of the week. The puck-moving defenseman has had a real breakout here of late and his added offensive production has been huge for the Sabres. His goal and assist against Philadelphia stuck out as the Sabres surprised the Flyers 5-3. If Sekera keeps playing like this and gives the Sabres more offensive punch, Buffalo will not only make the playoffs but be a threat to upset a top team or two.
The picture of consistency this year in goal has been Montreal’s Carey Price. Last week, Price went 3-0-0 with a 1.00 goals against average and a .974 save percentage with a shutout and earned the NHL’s third star for the week. Considering the position Price was in last season losing his starting job to Jaroslav Halak and having everything he did on and off the ice being scrutinized, Price’s maturity in bouncing back this year and dedicating himself to playing great hockey has been a wonder for the surging Canadiens.