NEW YORK – Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark and Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” presented by GEICO for the week ending Dec. 21.
FIRST STAR – CONNOR McDAVID, C, EDMONTON OILERS
McDavid, who scored in all four of his appearances and posted a trio of multi-point performances, registered a League-leading 5-5—10 to earn his second straight “First Star” honor, overtake Nathan MacKinnon in the Art Ross Trophy race and lift the Oilers (18-13-6, 42 points) into third place in the Pacific Division via a 3-1-0 week. He notched 2-2—4, his third four-point effort of the season (also Dec. 4 vs. SEA: 3-1—4 and Dec. 11 vs. DET: 0-4—4), in a 6‑4 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins Dec. 16. McDavid followed that with 1-1—2, including his 19th career shorthanded goal, in a 3-1 victory over the Boston Bruins Dec. 18 before potting one of Edmonton’s two goals in a 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild Dec. 20. He finished the week with 1-2—3, his 20th multi-point outing of the campaign, in a 4-3 triumph against the Vegas Golden Knights Dec. 21. The 28-year-old McDavid, spurred by a 10-game point streak dating to Dec. 4 (12-14—26), paces the NHL with 23-39—62 through 37 total contests this season. He also ranks among the 2025-26 leaders in assists (1st; 39), power-play assists (1st; 20), power-play points (1st; 27), goals (t-3rd; 23) and shots on goal (10th; 122).
SECOND STAR – LINUS ULLMARK, G, OTTAWA SENATORS
Ullmark went 3-0-0 with a 1.32 goals-against average, .943 save percentage and one shutout to guide the Senators (18-13-4, 40 points) to a perfect week as they climbed within one point of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. He denied 23 shots as Ottawa rallied for a 3-2 overtime victory against the Winnipeg Jets Dec. 15. Ullmark then earned his 13th career shutout with 25 saves in a 4-0 triumph over the Pittsburgh Penguins Dec. 18. He ended the week with 18 stops in a 6-2 win versus his former team, the Boston Bruins, Dec. 21. The 32-year-old Ullmark, aided by an 8-3-0 record in his last 11 starts dating to Nov. 20 (2.54 GAA, .899 SV%, 1 SO), shares sixth place in the NHL with 14 wins through 26 total appearances this season (14-8-4, 2.85 GAA, .884 SV%, 1 SO).
THIRD STAR – ZACH WERENSKI, D, COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
Werenski tied for the League lead with five goals in three contests (5-2—7) to help the Blue Jackets (14-15-6, 34 points) complete a 1-2-0 week. He registered 2-1—3, including an assist on Adam Fantilli’s overtime winner, in a 4-3 victory against the Anaheim Ducks Dec. 16. Werenski then scored twice in a 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild Dec. 18 to become the first defenseman in franchise history with back-to-back multi-goal games. He added his third straight multi-point performance, and 14th of 2025-26, with 1-1—2 in a 4-3 loss to the Ducks Dec. 20. The 28-year-old Werenski, who owns 5-5—10 during a five-game point streak dating to Dec. 11, places among the top NHL blueliners in goals (t-1st; 14), points (2nd; 40) and assists (t-4th; 26) through 35 total contests this season.
