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In shocking news, Sam Gagner is the NHL’s First Star of the Week

Turns out that registering the NHL’s first eight-point game in 23 years doesn’t just get you league-wide acclaim -- it also nets you some accolades.

Accolades are exactly what Edmonton’s Sam Gagner received on Monday as he was named the NHL’s first star of the week. The 22-year-old forward set am Oilers franchise record by recording a point on 11 straight goals, finishing with an eye-popping 12 points in wins over the Avalanche, Blackhawks and Red Wings -- all told, Edmonton is now 4-0-1 in its last five games while Gagner has vaulted into fifth in team scoring.

Second star of the week went to New Jersey’s Ilya Kovalchuk. The Russian captain led the Devils to four straight post-All-Star break wins: He scored a power-play goal against the Rangers, then recorded three straight three-point performances, finishing with 3G-7A-10PTS for the week.

Kovalchuk also beefed up his reputation by fighting -- and dropping -- Philadelphia Flyers forward Brayden Schenn:

Third star of the week went to Toronto goalie James Reimer. While he only started two games last week, Optimus Reim made ‘em count, stopping all 74 shots he faced in posting consecutive shutouts against the Penguins (1-0) and Senators (5-0). The clean sheet against Ottawa in the Battle of Ontario was especially impressive as Reimer made 49 saves to move Toronto within one point of the Sens for 7th place in the Eastern Conference.