Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Ovechkin named NHL’s first star of the week

Alex Ovechkin

For the second time in three weeks, Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin is the NHL’s first star of the week.

Ovechkin earned the honor with seven goals in four games, including a hat trick Saturday against Florida. The 27-year-old scored twice more Sunday versus Tampa Bay, moving into a tie with Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos for the most goals (25) in the NHL.

Yesterday, Ovechkin credited Washington’s new head coach, Adam Oates, for much of his resurgence.

“It’s trust. That’s what I don’t have last year,” Ovechkin said, according to the Washington Post’s Katie Carrera. “When you have that kind of feelings you just want to go out there, play for your team for your coach and do your best.”

Two goalies -- the Blues’ Brian Elliott and the Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist -- were named the second and third stars of the week, respectively.

The recent play of Elliott (3-0-0 with a .952 save percentage in three appearances) has been especially encouraging for St. Louis, which hasn’t received particularly good goaltending this season. The Blues’ team save percentage is .893, tied for 27th in the NHL.