NHL’s Three Stars for February: Dubnyk, Price, and Ovechkin

Mar 3, 2015

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(photo: allhabs.net)

As we say goodbye to a frigid February and brace ourselves for the trade deadline on March 2 and the final regular season rush to playoffs, here are the NHL’s Three Stars of the Month:

First Star: Devan Dubnyk, G, Minnesota Wild

Dubnyk, 28, has just finished playing his first full month with the Wild, and already he is making a huge impact; he becomes just the first Wild player ever to earn NHL Player of the Month accolades. Dubnyk put up huge numbers in February with a record of 11-2-1 (3 shutouts) to go along with a 1.64 GAA and .939 SV%. He started all 14 games for the Wild as the team climbed the rankings; they now sit in the final playoff spot for the Western Conference. This has been a career season for Dubnyk, who has set career highs in wins (24) and shutouts (3) while ranking in the top five in the NHL in shutouts (t-2nd), GAA (3rd), and SV% (5th). Since arriving in Minnesota in January, Dubnyk has started all 20 games with a 15-3-1 record, 1.64 GAA, .937 SV%, and five shutouts.

Second Star: Carey Price, G, Montreal Canadiens

Price, 27, continued his run for the Hart Trophy this season with solid performances in net through the month of February. Price went 9-1-1 with a 1.34 GAA, .949 SV%, and two shutouts for the Canadiens while extending his franchise-record road winning streak to 10 games. He is the first goalie to achieve such a streak since Evgeni Nabokov in 2009-10 with the San Jose Sharks. Price currently leads the NHL in wins (36), GAA (1.88), and SV% (.936), and he is tied for second in shutouts with six. He is two victories away from his career high, set in the 2010-11 season.

Third Star: Alex Ovechkin, LW, Washington Capitals

After a strong February, Ovechkin, 29, is back in the lead for the Rocket Richard trophy. He led the league this month in goals (10), points (t-17), power play goals (5), and shots on goal (68) as the Capitals took hold of the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Ovechkin also put up four multi-point games and found the back of the net for two game-winning goals (vs. Ottawa, Feb. 5 and vs. Winnipeg, Feb. 19). He currently leads the NHL in goals (41), power play goals (18), game-winning goals (tied, 8), and shots on goal (312).