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NHL Three Stars: Allen is superhuman; Guentzel's hatty; Kassian's game winner

Jen Neale
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 16: The New York Rangers prepare for the game against the Montreal Canadiens in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 16, 2017 in New York City. The Canadiens defeated the Rangers 3-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 16: The New York Rangers prepare for the game against the Montreal Canadiens in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 16, 2017 in New York City. The Canadiens defeated the Rangers 3-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

No. 1 Star: Jake Allen, St. Louis Blues

The netminder made 40 saves in the team’s 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild. Through three playoff games, Allen has allowed 3 total goals on 117 shots against. That’s an incredible 0.91 goals-against average and .974 save-percentage.

No. 2 Star: Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh Penguins

For the first time in the franchise history of the Penguins, a rookie scored a hat trick in the playoffs. Guenztel’s third goal was the best of them all – it won the game in overtime for Pittsburgh.

No. 3 Star: Zack Kassian, Edmonton Oilers

Kassian picked up his second goal of the playoffs when he pounced on a turnover and beat Martin Jones. The goal came in a scoreless game midway through the third period. The Oilers held on to beat the San Jose Sharks, 1-0. The Oilers take a 2-1 series lead.

Honorable Mention: Joe Thornton returned to the lineup for the Sharks. He had four shot attempts in 16:27 TOI. San Jose out-hit the Oilers 58-37. Cam Talbot shut out San Jose with a 23 save performance … Ryan Suter recorded 10 shot attempts against St. Louis. Patrik Berglund and Alexander Steen each had two points in the win. Steen’s setup on Jaden Schwartz’s go-ahead goal was a beaut:

… Cam Atkinson scored 11 seconds into the game to give the Blue Jackets the lead. He picked up his second goal a few minutes later. Bryan Rust netted two goals in the second period for the Penguins … The Montreal Canadiens’ power play was 2-for-3 in the team’s 3-1 victory against the New York Rangers. The Habs take a 2-1 series lead. Alexander Radulov submits his nomination for ‘goal of the post-season’ with an insane one-armed tally.

Did You Know? The Rangers have last six straight playoff games on home ice.

Dishonorable Mention: The Wild are down 3-0 in the series. Game 4 is on Wednesday in St. Louis. Bruce Boudreau stormed out of his post-game press conference … Poor Zach Werenski. He took a puck to the face, bled profusely on the ice, the refs didn’t stop play and the Penguins scored. The Blue Jackets are on the brink of elimination against the Penguins … Kevin Klein introduced Torrey Mitchell to his Rangers teammates in the most awkward (and hilarious) way possible:

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Jen Neale is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter!