KUCHEROV, CRAWFORD AND HAYES NAMED NHL ‘THREE STARS’ OF THE WEEK
Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov, Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford and New York Rangers center Kevin Hayes have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending Nov. 6.
FIRST STAR – NIKITA KUCHEROV, RW, TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Kucherov shared the League lead with 3-4—7 in three contests to guide the Lightning (7-4-1, 15 points) to five out of a possible six standings points and second place in the Atlantic Division. He matched a career high with 2-2—4, including the game winning goal, in a 6-1 victory over the New York Islanders Nov. 1. Kucherov added one assist in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins Nov. 3 before closing the week with 1-1—2, his third multi-point performance of the campaign, in a 4-1 triumph over the New Jersey Devils Nov. 5. The 23-year-old Moscow, Russia, native ranks third in the NHL with 15 points in 11 games this season, including a League-high 11 assists.
SECOND STAR – COREY CRAWFORD, G, CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
Crawford went 3-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average, .971 save percentage and one shutout as the Blackhawks (9-3-1, 19 points) picked up four wins in four games to move into first place in the Central Division. He made 33 saves in a 5-1 victory over the Calgary Flames Nov. 1, earned his 21st career shutout with 38 stops in a 4-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche Nov. 3 and turned aside 31 shots in a 3-2 triumph over the Dallas Stars Nov. 5. The 31-year-old Montreal native owns a 6-3-1 record in 10 outings this season, ranking in the top 10 in the NHL in wins (t-4th), goals-against average (8th; 2.01), save percentage (7th; .936) and shutouts (t-3rd; 2).
THIRD STAR – KEVIN HAYES, C, NEW YORK RANGERS
Hayes scored in all four of his appearances to share the League lead in goals (4-2—6) and propel the Rangers (10-3-0, 20 points) into second place in the NHL’s overall standings with a perfect 4-0-0 week. He picked up one goal in a 5-0 win over the St. Louis Blues Nov. 1 before equaling a career high with 1-2—3 in a 5-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers Nov. 3. Hayes again scored in a pair of 5-2 triumphs (Nov. 5 at BOS and Nov. 6 vs. WPG), including the shorthanded, game-winning goal in his hometown of Boston. The 24-year-old Dorchester, Mass., native ranks second on the Rangers with 6-6—12 in 13 games this season and shares second place in the NHL with a +13 rating.
* Information provided via NHL Press Release
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