NHL Three Stars: Pavelec stops 39; Marleau leads Sharks over Red Wings

No. 1 Star: Ondrej Pavelec, Winnipeg Jets

The Jets stayed in the playoff hunt with a 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens. Pavelec was excellent again, stopping 39 shots for his sixth straight victory. Mark Scheifele and Jim Slater each had a goal and an assist. The win puts Winnipeg three points up on the Calgary Flames for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference.

No. 2 Star: Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks

Three third period goals helped the Sharks upend the Detroit Red Wings 6-4. Marleau scored twice and assisted on another as San Jose won for the first time in three games. Chris Tierny had a pair of points and Antti Niemi made 30 stops.

No. 3 Star: Reto Berra, Colorado Avalanche

Colorado scored three goals in the opening 12:56 of the second period and coasted to a 4-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Reto Berra made 33 stops, while Ryan O'Reilly, Gabriel Landeskog and Alex Tanguay each recorded two points. The win was Berra's first in a game he started since Nov. 25.

Honorable Mention: Ryan Getzlaf’s goal 3:09 into overtime helped give the Anaheim Ducks a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins. Frederik Andersen made 27 saves and Cam Fowler, back from being a healthy scratch, assisted on a pair of goals, including Getzlaf’s winner:

David Krejci had a pair of assists for the Bruins in his first game back from a knee injury … Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored his 21st goal of the season, breaking Nicklas Lidstrom’s record for goals in a season by a Swedish defenseman, and Sam Gagner put home the overtime winner as the Arizona Coyotes got by the Buffalo Sabres 4-3:

Anze Kopitar slipped one by Jaroslav Halak with 4:23 left in the third period as the Los Angeles Kings edged the New York Islanders 3-2. Nick Shore scored his first career NHL goal to open the scoring for the Kings. Tyler Toffoli now leads the league in shorthanded goals with five. The third straight win helps move LA into a playoff spot in the Western Conference … Chris Kreider scored twice and Tanner Glass added his first of the the year as the New York Rangers chased Andrew Hammond and routed the Ottawa Senatos 5-1 to clinch a playoff spot.. Mats Zuccarello, Derek Stepan, Kevin Hayes and Dan Boyle all recorded two points. Cam Talbot stopped 22 shots for his 20th win ... Matt Niskanen put home the winner 1:13 into overtime as the Washington Capitals beat the New Jersey Devils 3-2:

Pekka Rinne made 28 saves and earned his 40th win as the Nashville Predators edged the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 … Brandon Pirri tallied two more goals and Roberto Luongo made 24 saves as the Florida Panthers kept their playoff hopes alive with a 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Pirri now has 20 goals and 2 assists on the season .. Sam Carrick of the Maple Leafs scored his first career goal in the loss … Eric Staal led the Carolin Hurricanes with a goal and two assists as they dispatched the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2. The goal was Staal’s 20th of the season, the ninth time he’s reached the mark in 11 seasons. Cam Ward made 27 stops, including this robbery on David Perron, while Brad Malone recorded a pair of helpers … John Tavares couldn’t get by Drew Doughty, so he stole his stick:

Did You Know?

Dishonorable Mention: The Penguins and Islanders are 1-5-1 in their last seven games … Boston has lost six in a row, while Toronto has dropped seven straight …Jimmy Howard allowed three goals on 10 shots before being pulled. He also lost his starting gig for the time being, according to Mike Babcock … Andrew “The Hamburglar” Hammond allowed five goals on 22 shots and suffered his first loss in regulation … Tampa’s power play failed on all five opportunities … Richard Panik was given a 10-minute misconduct for chucking Pirri’s stick into the Air Canada Centre crowd:

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