NEW YORK – Dallas Stars left wing Jamie Benn, Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Joffrey Lupul and Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson have been named the NHL’s ‘Three Stars’ for the week ending January 8.
FIRST STAR — JAMIE BENN, LW, DALLAS STARS
Benn sparked the Dallas offense with seven points (four goals, three assists), tallying multiple points in each of his appearances, as the Stars (23-16-1) won two of three starts. He notched a goal and two assists in a 5-4 loss to the Detroit Red Wings January 3, tallied one goal and one assist in a 4-1 victory over the Nashville Predators January 5 and scored two goals, including his fourth game-winner of the season, in a 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers January 7. Playing in his third NHL season, Benn has recorded points in 10 of his past 11 games and leads the Stars in scoring with 13-28–41 in 40 contests. The 22-year old Victoria, B.C. native has matched the output of his rookie season two years ago and his 82-point pace would shatter his career high of 56, set last season.
SECOND STAR — JOFFREY LUPUL, RW, TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Lupul notched seven points last week (two goals, five assists), helping the Maple Leafs (21-15-5) post three consecutive victories. Lupul began the week with one goal and three assists, including the 300th point of his NHL career, in a 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning January 3. He became the fifth player from the 2002 NHL Draft class to reach the 300-point milestone, joining Rick Nash, Alex Semin, Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Jarret Stoll. Lupul went on to record one assist in a 4-0 victory over the Winnipeg Jets January 5 and tally the game-winning goal and an assist in a 4-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings January 7. Lupul increased his season points total to 47 (19 goals, 28 assists), ranking second on the Maple Leafs behind Phil Kessel and fourth in the NHL overall.
THIRD STAR — CRAIG ANDERSON, G, OTTAWA SENATORS
Anderson posted a 3-0-1 record, 2.41 goals-against average and .929 save percentage in four appearances last week as the Senators (22-15-6) climbed to fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Anderson started the week by making 27 saves and tallying his fourth assist of the season — tops among NHL goaltenders — in a 3-2 overtime victory over the New Jersey Devils January 2. He turned aside 35 of 36 shots in a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning January 5, stopped 36 shots in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers January 7 and blocked 33 more in a 6-4 win over Philadelphia January 8. Anderson improved his season record to 20-12-4 with a 3.13 goals-against average and .902 save percentage. He leads all NHL goaltenders in games (38), shots faced (1,120) and saves (1,010).
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