Advertisement

NHL Three Stars: Bruins oust Rangers; Blackhawks stay alive vs. Red Wings

Sean Leahy
·Contributing writer

No. 1 Star: Andrew Shaw, Chicago Blackhawks

Shaw got a little chat from Michal Handzus telling him that calming down would be beneficial for the Blackhawks. It worked and Shaw scored twice in Game 5 as Chicago downed the Detroit Red Wings 4-1, forcing a Game 6. His first goal snapped a 1-1 tie and came 3:31 after Danny Cleary evened things up:

No. 2 Star: Gregory Campbell, Boston Bruins

The Bruins' "Merlot Line" has stepped up for them all series and they in Game 5 they led the way during Boston's 3-1 win to eliminate the New York Rangers. Campbell scored twice, the go-ahead goal midway through the second period and then the empty-netter to seal things. Campbell, along with Shawn Thornton and Daniel Paille, combined for 10 points in the series.

No. 3 Star: Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks

Toews scored his first goal of the playoffs to give the Blackhawks a 3-1 lead. Just as important, he finished with zero penalty minutes and led all Chicago forwards in time on-ice with 20:33.

Honorable mention: Tuukka Rask made 28 saves, including 12 in the third period ... Torey Krug scored his third power play goal of the series ... Reunited with Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith chipped in a pair of assists ... Corey Crawford made 25 saves ... Here's the Bruins/Rangers handshake line:

Conn Smythe Watch: 1. David Krejci, Boston Bruins; 2. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins; 3. Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings; 4. Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks; 5. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins; 6. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins; 7. Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings; 8. Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins; 9. Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks; 10. Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings.

Did You Know? Torey Krug is first rookie blueliner in post expansion era to score four times in his first five NHL playoff games. (Elias Sports Bureau)

Dishonorable mention: Justin Abdelkader took two penalties in the second period, with the last one allowing the Blackhawks to score on the power play.