Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano, St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko and Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the month of November.
FIRST STAR – MARK GIORDANO, D, CALGARY FLAMES
Giordano led all defensemen and tied for sixth in the NHL with 16 points in 13 games to power the Flames (15-8-2, 32 points) to a 9-4-0 November record and third place in the Pacific Division. He also paced the League with a +12 rating, led all blueliners and ranked third in the NHL with 12 assists, and posted one game-winning goal (Nov. 13 vs. ARI). Giordano opened the month with points in seven straight contests, extending his overall point streak to nine games (5-9—14) and matching the longest such stretch of his NHL career (Jan. 14 – Feb. 1, 2014: 4-6—10). He also recorded his 20th point in his 18th outing of the season, becoming the fastest Flames defenseman to reach the milestone since Al MacInnis in 1993-94 (6-14—20 in 18 GP). Overall, Giordano found the scoresheet in 11 of 13 November games. The 31-year-old Toronto, Ont., native leads all defensemen with 19 assists and 25 points in 25 outings this season. He also is tied for second among blueliners with a +14 rating.
SECOND STAR – VLADIMIR TARASENKO, RW, ST. LOUIS BLUES
Tarasenko ranked second in the NHL with 10 goals and 17 points (tied) to lift the Blues (16-6-2, 34 points) to an 11-3-1 November record and a share of the top spot in the League standings. He found the back of the net in nine of 15 outings, including a four-game streak to open the month, and recorded two game-winning tallies: Nov. 4 at NJD and Nov. 28 vs. EDM. Tarasenko also added a pair of game-deciding goals in the shootout: Nov. 3 at NYR and Nov. 29 at MIN. Overall, he posted six multi-point games, highlighted by his second multi-goal performance of the season Nov. 1 vs. COL (2-0—2), and registered points in 11 of 15 contests. The 22-year-old Yaroslavl, Russia, native leads the Blues and is tied for fourth in the NHL with 14 goals in 24 games this season. He also ranks second in the League in plus/minus (+17), fourth in shots on goal (91) and seventh in points (26).
THIRD STAR – PEKKA RINNE, G, NASHVILLE PREDATORS
Rinne led the NHL with 10 wins and also placed in the top five in goals-against average (1.70) and save percentage (.938), backstopping the Predators (16-5-2, 34 points) to a 10-3-0 November record and the top spot in the Central Division. He allowed two or fewer goals in nine of 11 appearances, highlighted by a season-high 37 saves for his 34th career shutout Nov. 27 vs. EDM. Rinne recorded one other 30-plus save performance during the month, stopping 33 shots in a 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars Nov. 6. The 32-year-old Kempele, Finland, native paces the NHL with 16 wins in 20 appearances this season and also ranks second with a 1.82 goals-against average and .933 save percentage. He has won six consecutive outings dating to Nov. 15 vs. WPG, his longest such run since a career-high 11-game winning streak Jan. 7 – Feb. 4, 2012.
[pb_vidembed title=”NHL Plays of November” caption=”” url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2Lko7OqjvY” type=”yt” w=”600″ h=”485″]
* Information via NHL Press Release
National Hockey League Press Release. Information provided from the NHL that describes various news releases that describe current events in the league.