No. 1 Star: Mike Smith, Tampa Bay Lightning
In his first NHL shutout since March 31, 2010, Smith stopped 31 Chicago Blackhawks shots in the Bolts' 2-0 victory on the road. Vincent Lecavalier and Nate Thompson had the goals for Tampa, who were outshot 18-8 in the first two periods.
No. 2 Star: Marc-Andre Gragnani, Buffalo Sabres
Gragnani's first NHL goal was a memorable one for the Sabres, giving them a critical 2-1 victory at the Carolina Hurricanes in overtime. Gragnani's shot from the point was deflected and hopped past Cam Ward for the game winner 2:56 into OT. Jhonas Enroth was outstanding in making 35 saves for the Sabres, who moved three points ahead of Carolina with the head-to-head win. Here's the game winner:
No. 3 Star: Mike Ribeiro, Dallas Stars
The Stars forward scored two goals, including the eventual game-winner, in Dallas's 4-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Riberio scored his second period power-play goal on a rebound shot, just as a 5-on-3 advantage ended. Big game from Ribeiro after there was outcry over a hit to the head during the Stars' game vs. the Kings. Brenden Morrow had a goal and two assists for Dallas, who received 24 saves from Kari Lehtonen. Ryan Getzlaf, Lubomir Visnovsky and Corey Perry's League-leading 47th goal accounted for the Ducks' offense.
Honorable mention: Calgary lingers longer in the playoff race, getting goals from Olli Jokinen and Alex Tanguay in a 2-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche. Miikka Kiprusoff made 34 saves, as the Flames moved one point in back of the Blackhawks, although Chicago has two games in-hand. … Erik Christiensen and Wojtek Wolski scored in the shootout as the New York Rangers snapped a two-game losing streak against the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-2. The Flyers moved into a tie in points with the Capitals atop the conference; the Rangers moved two points ahead of the Hurricanes for the No. 8 seed. … Tomas Holmstrom and Johan Franzen scored to put the game away as the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Minnesota Wild, 4-2. Carson McMillian had his first NHL goal for the Wild. … Patrik Berglund scored two goals while Matt D'Agostini had two assists and was a plus-4 in the St. Louis Blues' 6-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, who were without the injured Steve Mason and Rick Nash. Keep in mind there are two teams that don't exactly get along. …
Did you know? Eric Staal scored the Hurricanes' goal for his 500th NHL point.
Dishonorable mention: Paul Stastny will miss the rest of the regular season with a stress fracture in his right leg. … Mathieu Garon was pulled after giving up four goals on 21 shots for the Jackets; David LeNeveu gave up two more in relief. … Finally, the Ducks said their piece after their loss to Dallas on two goals that were waived off by officials in the final 2:04 on a goalie interference call on Saku Koivu and a hand pass to Bobby Ryan: