David Backes, NHL Three Stars of the Week (Videos)
By Mike Majeski
Taking a look at the three stars from this past week’s NHL action
Welcome to another edition of the NHL Three Stars of the Week where we will recognize three players who had outstanding performances during this past week’s NHL action. Check back every Sunday for a new list of three stars for the previous week’s play.
No. 1 Star: David Backes
Just three days after T.J. Oshie became the fourth St. Louis Blues player to earn a hat-trick this season, David Backes decided to one-up his effort (literally). Backes scored four of the St. Louis Blues’ six goals in a 17 minute span during Tuesday night’s 6-0 blowout of the Arizona Coyotes. Two of the four goals came with the Blues on the power play – which went 3-5 for the night.
Oshie had assists on three of Backes’ goals, giving him seven points in his last two games. The Blues have outscored the Coyotes 12-1 in two games this season and they have won six straight games in Arizona. This is the second time that Backes has scored four goals in his career – the first coming back in April of 2009 against the Detroit Red Wings.
No. 2 Star: John Tavares
John Tavares helped the New York Islanders overcome two third period deficits Friday night against the New Jersey Devils. The Islanders trailed the Devils 1-0 going into the third, but Josh Bailey tied the game just 1:02 into the period. Calvin de Haan and Tavares assisted on the goal. Scott Gomez put the Devils back ahead, but Tavares scored his first of the night to tie the game 2-2 13:47 into the third.
Tavares’ biggest goal of the night came 3:05 into the overtime period. He stripped the puck from Devils defenseman Adam Larsson behind the net and beat Keith Kinkaid to give the Islanders a 3-2 win. It was a league leading third overtime goal for Tavares and his 19th goal of the season. The win ended a two-game losing streak for the Islanders.
No. 3 Star: Semyon Varlamov
Varlamov stopped all 54 Chicago Blackhawks shots he faced Tuesday night to earn the Colorado Avalanche a 2-0 win. Varlamov joins Ben Scrivens and Mike Smith as the only goaltenders to make 54 or more saves in a shutout bid during the expansion era of the NHL. Varlamov also set a Quebec / Colorado franchise record for saves in a shutout. It was a career high for Varlamov for saves and the 16th shutout of his career. All of the game’s scoring happened in the opening 1:17 of the first period, with Nathan MacKinnon and Maxime Talbot scoring 24 seconds apart.
Honorable Mentions:
Roberto Luongo’s first return to Vancouver since the trade that sent him to the Florida Panthers last March couldn’t have gone much better. The Vancouver fans serenaded him with “Loo” cheers after nearly every save, he received a standing ovation after a 1st period video tribute, and his 33 save, 3-1 win earned him first star honors.
On Thursday night it was St. Louis Blues forward Jaden Schwartz’s turn for a multi-point night. Schwartz had three assists in a big 7-2 win over the San Jose Sharks. The line featuring Schwartz, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Jori Lehtera combined for seven points on the night.
On Tuesday night Patrik Elias scored a goal and added two assists in a 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres – giving him 1,000 points on 399 goals and 601 assists in his career. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Elias is the fifth Czech-born player in NHL history to record 1,000 points.