NHL Three Stars: Blue Jackets, Avalanche win in OT; Panthers thump Ducks

No. 1 Star: Brandon Dubinsky, Columbus Blue Jackets

Sidney Crosby’s arch nemesis beat Matt Murray on the only shot offered by either team in overtime. And it was a beauty.

No. 2 Star: Matt Duchene, Colorado Avalanche

Watch Duchene do werk in order to get Mikko Rantanen the puck for the OT winner. Rantanen’s goal snaps a five game losing skid for the Avs. Duchene always seems to shine when the trade spotlight is on him the most.

No. 3 Star: James Reimer, Florida Panthers

The goalie got the nod against the Ducks who are playing their first home game in nearly a month. Reimer made 35 saves with 27 of them coming in the second and third period total. Florida beat the Anaheim Ducks, 4-1.

Honorable Mention: Matt Murray and Sergei Bobrovsky each faced 39 shots in the Blue Jackets, 2-1 win. Ian Cole scored the lone goal for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Evgeni Malkin assisted on the goal giving him 500 assists in his NHL career.

… Someone explain how Jeff Skinner scored here? Aside from ‘it’s been that kind of season for the Avalanche.’

… Andrew Cogliano scored his 12th goal of the year while the Ducks were short-handed. Colton Sceviour registered 7 shots on goal and scored the game tying goal shortly after Cogliano. Jaromir Jagr is still incredible, just ask Josh Manson. Aaron Ekblad notched a power play tally and Derek MacKenzie picked up a shorty.

Did You Know? Anaheim Ducks riding the struggle bus:

Dishonorable Mention: The Blue Jackets thought they had a goal here. The officials said otherwise. What say you?

… Carolina Hurricanes had 19 giveaways in the loss to Colorado … Antoine Vermette sat out the first game of his 10 game (for now) suspension.

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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! Follow @MsJenNeale_PD.