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Mike Smith is the NHL’s First Star of the Week

Detroit Red Wings v Phoenix Coyotes

GLENDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 06: Goaltender Mike Smith #41 of the Phoenix Coyotes in action during the NHL game against the Detroit Red Wings at Jobing.com Arena on February 6, 2012 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Christian Petersen

After rattling off four straight wins and posting a 0.74 goals-against average, Phoenix Coyotes goalie Mike Smith was named the NHL’s first star of the week.

Smith, 29, was instrumental in pushing the desert dogs to eighth place in the Western Conference. He stopped 29 of 30 shots against Detroit, 27 of 28 against Dallas, 23 of 24 against Calgary then stopped all 38 in a brilliant shutout victory over Chicago on Saturday night. Smith now has a career-best 23 wins and .925 save percentage in 44 appearances this season.

Second star went to Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin. Capturing these sorts of awards is old hat for No. 71 -- he’s been named a star of the week three times and was named the first star for December (and the second star for January.) Malkin led all skaters with eight points (3G-5A) and posted a plus-six rating in three games as the Penguins obtained five of a possible six points. The highlight of his week was a five-point effort against the Jets...his third five-point performance of the season. As such, Malkin leads the NHL in scoring with 69 points, seven up on Tampa Bay’s Steve Stamkos.

Third star went to St. Louis forward David Perron. The 23-year-old led the NHL with six goals in four games, including two goals (and an assist) in a 3-2 overtime win over Colorado on Feb. 11. Perron has been outstanding after missing 97 games with a concussion, recording 24 points in his last 30 games while helping St. Louis move within three points of Detroit for top spot in the Western Conference.