No. 1 Star: Dennis Wideman, Washington Capitals
During a 5-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, Wideman became the first Capitals defenseman to record a hat trick* since Sergei Gonchar in 2000. Making Wideman's first ever trick even more special was the fact that all three goals came on the power play. He also added an assist for good measure as Washington has now won two in a row.
*After the game, Wideman claimed his third goal went off of Brooks Laich. The NHL will review the play on Saturday and decide who to properly credit.
No. 2 Star: Jason Pominville, Buffalo Sabres
Unlucky at home of late, Pominville gave Buffalo their second win at First Niagara Center in eight tries by potting the overtime winner in a 2-1 victory over the Florida Panthers:
No. 3 Star: Sam Gagner, Edmonton Oilers
Gagner opened and closed the scoring for the Oilers during their 4-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche. Beating Semyon Varlamov early in the first period and later with three seconds left in the game, Gagner, who also added an assist) extended his points streak to three games and now has 10 points in his last nine games.
Honorable mention: Nicklas Backstrom posted a three-point night (goal, two assists) and now has 12 points in his last 10 games ... Washington cashed in on four of six power play chances. In their previous 14 games, they had scored just three times in 51 opportunities ... Phil Kessel scored his 18th goal of the season for Toronto tying him for the NHL lead with Milan Michalek of the Ottawa Senators ... Jason Garrison scored his ninth goal for the Panthers and leads all NHL defensemen ... Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each had two points for the Oilers ... Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 28 shots to stop a 3-game personal losing streak ... Blake Wheeler recorded three helpers and Evander Kane and Dustin Byfuglien each had two points as the Winnipeg Jets downed the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 ... Jim Slater won 15 of 18 draws for the Jets ... In his Carolina debut, Jaroslav Spacek played 19:15, assisted on both Carolina goals, but was credited with three giveaways ... You may not have heard it, but Byfuglien called bank on this goal:
Did you know? "Wideman is first NHL blueliner with three PPG in same game since the Stars' Phillippe Boucher pumped home three PPG vs. LA on 11/24/06." via Mike Vogl of the Caps: @VogsCaps
Dishonorable mention: Cam Ward was pulled after allowing four goals on 30 shots through the first 31:26 ... James Reimer lost his third start in a row ... Colorado has dropped eight straight on the road.