Calgary forward Jiri Hudler and a pair of goalies -- Colorado’s Semyon Varlamov and the New York Rangers’ Cam Talbot -- have been named the NHL’s three stars for the week ending Mar. 8, the league announced on Monday.
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Hudler paced the NHL with eight points and shared the League lead with four goals to help the Flames (36-25-5, 77 points) earn seven out of a possible eight standings points.
Varlamov went 3-0-0 with a 0.69 goals-against average, .981 save percentage and one shutout to power the Avalanche (30-25-11, 71 points) to three straight wins.
Talbot posted a 2-0-1 record with a 0.99 goals-against average, .965 save percentage and one shutout to backstop the Rangers (40-17-7, 87 points) to five out of a possible six standings points.
Hudler’s performance is doubly impressive given the timing -- last Monday, the Flames announced captain and Norris candidate Mark Giordano was lost for the season with a torn biceps tendon, which many saw as a death blow to their playoff chances.
But Hudler, now serving as a full-time alternate captain, did all he could to keep the Flames right in the thick of the playoff chase with his scoring spree. As a result, Calgary currently sits in third in the Pacific Division with 77 points, two up on fourth-place Los Angeles.