Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
You’re reading THN.com’s Three Stars of the Week, a regular feature in which we pay homage to a trio of players who’ve had the best individual showings of the past seven days. Here we go:
3. Anton Forsberg, Ottawa Senators
The Senators are on a three-game winning streak, and one of the biggest reasons why is the performance of goaltender Forsberg, who went 2-0-0 in three appearances, and who posted a sterling .964 save percentage, a 1.18 goals-against. against average and one shutout. The 30-year-old Swede’s season statistics are on the rise, and in 30 appearances this year, Forsberg now has a .906 SP, 3.09 GAA and two shutouts. With fellow Sens veteran Cam Talbot sidelined again due to injury, the Sens needed Forsberg to step up, and his victories on back-to-back nights Friday and Saturday gave Ottawa the boost it needed as it attempts to get back into the race for a post-season berth.
Forsberg does not have the NHL’s best defense corps in front of him, which makes his play this week all the more impressive. Talbot is projected to be out for Ottawa’s final game before the all-star break, so Forsberg will be turned to once again. It will be his second straight game against the Montreal Canadiens, and you have to believe he’s as confident as he can be after blanking them Saturday night.
2. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
The Bruins have earned their current status as the NHL’s top team this year, and nobody has been more instrumental in their ascent to the top than Pastrnak. In three games this week, the 26-year-old right winger generated five assists and eight points, putting him in a three-way tie for first place in the league in points. Pastrnak is far and away Boston’s most potent force on offense – his 38 goals in 49 games are more than double the next-best Bruins goal-scorer (Patrice Bergeron, with 18), and his 71 points this year is 25 points more than the next-best Bruins point-getter (Brad Marchand, with 46).
Pastrnak has already assured himself of a massive pay raise on his current $6.6 million salary when he becomes a UFA this summer. The Bruins have been fortunate to get some of their veterans to agree to hometown-discount contract extensions, but Pastrnak is a different story altogether. His salary next year will be in the 10-digit range, and there’s little doubt Boston GM Don Sweeney will want to lock him up to the maximum eight years an NHLer can sign for. The Bruins will have to adjust their lineup accordingly, but hardly anyone believes Pastrnak will be playing anywhere other than Boston for the foreseeable future. He’s one of the league’s top talents on offense, and he’s going to be the centerpiece of the Bruins’ blueprint for success for as long as possible.
1. Dougie Hamilton, New Jersey Devils
The Devils have had three star honorees many times already this season, but this is Hamilton’s first appearance on this list this year. This week, Hamilton amassed three goals – two of them, overtime-winners in back-to-back games against Pittsburgh and Vegas – and eight points in four games. The 29-year-old defenseman logged an average of 24:36 of ice time in those games – considerably better than his season average of 22:19 – and he’s got a whopping 33 assists and 46 points in 49 games this season.
With nearly half a season still to play, Hamilton is only five goals, four assists and four points away from equaling his career bests in each of those categories. His $9-million cap hit is not a small amount, but it’s well worth it for New Jersey. Hamilton is clearly in his prime, and as long as he’s eating up minutes on the back end the way he’s doing at present, the life of the Devils’ goaltenders is going to be much easier than it would otherwise be.
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