Kucherov's monstrous week earns him 1st-star honors
A downright blistering week has earned Nikita Kucherov the NHL's first star of the week.
The Tampa Bay Lightning forward was named the best player of the past seven days after amassing a league-leading five goals and nine points in four games.
His week was highlighted by his second-career hat trick, a three-point effort against the Carolina Hurricanes, and a dazzling shootout winner against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night.
Related: Kucherov seals Lightning victory with cheeky shootout goal
Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky earned second-star honors after posting back-to-back shutouts against the New Jersey Devils and Minnesota Wild. In all, Bobrovsky went 2-0-1 in three games on the week while posting a ridiculous 0.33 GAA and a .989 save percentage.
Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price rounds out the three stars after nabbing third spot with a perfect 3-0-0 record.
Related: Price bounces back since bye week, Julien hiring
Price was nearly as dominant as Bobrovsky, posting a 0.66 GAA, a .974 save percentage, and a shutout over Bobrovsky's Blue Jackets team.