NEW YORK – Minnesota Wild left wing Kirill Kaprizov, Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak and Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Logan Thompson have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending Jan. 21.
FIRST STAR – KIRILL KAPRIZOV, LW, MINNESOTA WILD
Kaprizov shared the League lead in points and goals last week with 5-3–8 in four games, helping the Wild (20-21-5, 45 points) win three of four starts and move within six points of the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. He tallied points in all four games, beginning with an assist in a 5-0 win vs. the New York Islanders Jan. 15 to help Marc-Andre Fleury record his 552nd career NHL win. He later registered an assist in a 7-3 loss at Tampa Bay Jan. 18, tallied 2-1–3 including the game-winning goal in a 6-4 win at Florida Jan. 19 and notched his third career hat trick in a 5-2 win at Carolina Jan. 21. The fourth-year Wild star became the fourth player in franchise history with 3+ career hat tricks, joining Marian Gaborik (9), Zach Parise (3) and Matt Boldy (3). Kaprizov, who is set to skate in his third consecutive and career NHL All-Star Weekend when he heads to Toronto Feb. 1-3, leads Minnesota in scoring this season with 42 points (18-24–42) in 39 games. He increased his career goal tally with the Wild to 132, tied with Jason Zucker for fourth place on the franchise’s all-time list.
SECOND STAR – DAVID PASTRNAK, RW, BOSTON BRUINS
Pastrnak tied Kaprizov and Toronto center Auston Matthews for the League lead in goals last week and tallied multiple points in each contest (5-2–7 in 3 GP), helping the Bruins (28-8-9, 65 points) post three consecutive wins that stretched their lead atop the Eastern Conference to five points. He tallied a goal and an assist in a 3-0 win over the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 15 to reach the 60-point mark in his 43rd game, matching his pace from the 2022-23 season that ended in a career-best 113 points. Pastrnak opened the scoring just 44 seconds into Boston’s game vs. the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 18 and added two more in a 5-2 win, marking his 16th career hat trick – only Phil Esposito (26) has as many three-goal games in Bruins history. He concluded the week with another one-goal, one-assist effort in a 9-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens Jan. 20. Pastrnak, who ranks third in the NHL in both goals (30) and points (66), will represent the Bruins at 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend and participate in 2024 NHL Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook.
THIRD STAR – LOGAN THOMPSON, G, VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Thompson posted wins in all three starts with a 1.34 goals-against average and .956 save percentage, helping the Golden Knights (27-14-5, 59 points) conclude their five-game homestand with a 4-1-0 mark. He started the week allowing one goal in consecutive contests, turning aside 34 of 35 shots in a 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators Jan. 15 and making 29 saves in a 5-1 win over the New York Rangers Jan. 18. The win over the Rangers came in the 500th game in franchise history (293-161-46, 632 points) — the most wins and points among all franchises through the benchmark. Thompson concluded the week with 23 saves in a 3-2 comeback win over the Pittsburgh Penguins Jan. 20. The 26-year-old, signed by the Golden Knights as a free agent in July 2020, improved his season record to 16-9-3 (2.61 GAA, .910 save pct.) in 29 appearances.
