Tavares, Kane, Ovechkin named NHL's 3 stars of the week

A trio of dynamic forwards took home the NHL's three stars honors for the final week of the regular season.

New York Islanders center John Tavares, Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane, and Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin earned the awards, the league announced Monday.

Tavares put the Islanders on his back when they needed it the most, scoring nine points (four goals, five assists) in four games to clinch New York a playoff spot.

Kane iced the Art Ross trophy in the final week, expanding the lead he's held nearly all season to become the first American-born player to win the scoring race. Kane scored three goals and three assists in a trio of games as the Blackhawks locked up another playoff position.

Ovechkin closed out his season in style, scoring a hat trick in the season finale against the St. Louis Blues to record the seventh 50-goal season of his career. Only Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy have surpassed that feat. Ovechkin also captured his fourth consecutive "Rocket" Richard Trophy, and his sixth in total.