Brodeur, Iginla, Kovalchuk named Stars of Week

New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur, Calgary Flames right wing Jarome Iginla and Atlanta Thrashers left wing Ilya Kovalchuk have been named the NHL's Three Stars for the week ending March 1.

FIRST STAR -- Martin Brodeur, G, Devils Brodeur returned to the Devils lineup after missing 50 games due to injury and stopped 66 of 68 shots while posting a 3-0-0 record with a 0.67 goals-against average, .971 save percentage and two shutouts. He shut out the Colorado Avalanche in his first appearance since Nov. 1, making 24 saves in a 4-0 victory on Feb. 26. Brodeur also turned aside 15 shots in a 7-2 victory over the Florida Panthers on Feb. 28 and concluded the week with his 100th career whitewash -- a 27-stop, 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on March 1. He increased his career victories total to 547, four shy of all-time leader Patrick Roy, and needs three shutouts to tie all-time leader Terry Sawchuk (103).

SECOND STAR -- Jarome Iginla, RW, FlamesIginla led the league in scoring with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in three games, achieving a pair of major milestones in the process. He began the week with two goals and two assists in a 4-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Feb. 24 and had an assist in a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Feb. 27. The Flames captain's second five-point game of the season (two goals, three assists) came in an 8-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 1, a performance in which he scored his 400th career goal and moved into first place on the Flames' all-time scoring list with 834 points, passing Theoren Fleury (830).

THIRD STAR -- Ilya Kovalchuk, LW, Thrashers

Kovalchuk had eight points (four goals, four assists) for the week, helping the Thrashers win twice in three starts. He scored a goal in a 4-3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Feb. 24, had a goal and an assist in a 4-3 loss to the Washington Capitals on Feb. 26 and recorded a season-high five points (two goals, three assists) in a 5-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 28. Kovalchuk leads the Thrashers and ranks seventh in NHL scoring with 71 points (34 goals, 37 assists) in 63 games.

Feb. 23First Star -- C Mike Richards, PhiladelphiaSecond Star -- G Tomas Vokoun, FloridaThird Star -- G Cristobal Huet, Chicago

Feb. 16First Star -- LW Zach Parise, New JerseySecond Star -- C Matthew Lombardi, CalgaryThird Star -- LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta

Feb. 9First Star -- G Jonathan Quick, Los AngelesSecond Star -- RW Marian Hossa, DetroitThird Star -- D Mike Green, Washington

Feb. 2First Star -- RW Jamie Langenbrunner, New JerseySecond Star -- C Sidney Crosby, PittsburghThird Star -- D Mike Green, Washington

Jan. 26First Star -- LW Dustin Brown, Los AngelesSecond Star -- G Cam Ward, CarolinaThird Star -- RW Ales Hemsky, Edmonton

Jan. 19First Star -- C Pavel Datsyuk, DetroitSecond Star -- LW Mike Cammalleri, CalgaryThird Star -- C Rich Peverley, Atlanta

Jan. 12First Star -- LW Wojtek Wolski, ColoradoSecond Star -- RW Bobby Ryan, AnaheimThird Star -- C Gregory Campbell, Florida

Jan. 5First Star -- LW Rick Nash, ColumbusSecond Star -- D Brian Rafalski, DetroitThird Star -- G Cam Ward, Carolina

Dec. 29First Star -- LW Alex Ovechkin, WashingtonSecond Star -- C Bryan Little, AtlantaThird Star -- G Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles

Dec. 22First Star -- LW Loui Eriksson, DallasSecond Star -- C Jeff Carter, PhiladelphiaThird Star -- LW Patrik Elias, New Jersey

Dec. 15First Star -- RW Phil Kessel, BostonSecond Star -- RW Petr Sykora, PittsburghThird Star -- LW Thomas Vanek, Buffalo

Dec. 8First Star -- G Pekka Rinne, NashvilleSecond Star -- C Jonathan Toews, ChicagoThird Star -- C Jason Spezza, Ottawa

Dec. 1First Star -- C Sidney Crosby, PittsburghSecond Star -- G Jonas Hiller, AnaheimThird Star -- G Chris Mason, St. Louis

Nov. 24First Star -- C Marc Savard, BostonSecond Star -- C Henrik Sedin, VancouverThird Star -- G Nikolai Khabibulin, Chicago

Nov. 17First Star -- C Nicklas Backstrom, WashingtonSecond Star -- LW Alex Ovechkin, WashingtonThird Star -- G Dan Ellis, Nashville

Nov. 10First Star -- G Roberto Luongo, VancouverSecond Star -- G Steve Mason, ColumbusThird Star -- G Brent Johnson, Washington

Nov. 3First Star -- C Ryan Getzlaf, RW Corey Perry and RW Teemu Selanne, AnaheimSecond Star -- G Tim Thomas, BostonThird Star -- LW Simon Gagne, Philadelphia

Oct. 27

First Star -- RW Jarome Iginla, CalgarySecond Star -- G Peter Budaj, ColoradoThird Star -- RW Marian Hossa, Detroit

Oct. 20First Star -- LW Thomas Vanek, BuffaloSecond Star -- G Niklas Backstrom, MinnesotaThird Star -- LW Fabian Brunnstrom, Dallas

Oct. 13First Star -- F Daniel Sedin, VancouverSecond Star -- LW David Booth, FloridaThird Star -- G Martin Brodeur, New Jersey

Atlanta Thrashers left wing Ilya Kovalchuk, Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green and St. Louis Blues goaltender Chris Mason have been named the NHL's Three Stars for the month of February.

FIRST STAR -- Ilya Kovalchuk, LW, Thrashers

Kovalchuk led the NHL in goals (13) and points (21) in February as the Thrashers went 6-5-1 for the month. He recorded goals in nine of 12 games, including a season-high six-game streak from Feb. 8-19 highlighted by his 11th career hat trick, on Feb. 15 against Anaheim. He had six multiple-point games, led by a season-high five-point effort (two goals, three assists) on Feb. 28 against Carolina. The 25-year-old Tver, Russia native has scored 18 goals in 20 games since being named Thrashers captain on Jan. 11. He ranks seventh in NHL scoring with 71 points (34 goals, 37 assists) in 63 games.

SECOND STAR -- Mike Green, D, Capitals

Green led NHL defensemen and ranked second among all scorers with 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in 13 games, helping the Capitals to a 9-3-1 record. He set an NHL record for defensemen with goals in eight consecutive games from Jan. 27 to Feb. 14, breaking the mark previously held by Mike O'Connell of the Boston Bruins (1983-84). It also matched the longest streak by any NHL player since 1997-98. The 23-year-old Calgary native leads all NHL defensemen in scoring with 23-33--56 in 51 games. His 23 goals are a career high and the most by a Capitals defenseman since Sergei Gonchar had 26 in 2001-02.

THIRD STAR -- Chris Mason, G, Blues

Mason had an 8-2-4 record with a 1.64 GAA, .939 save percentage and a shutout as the Blues (28-26-8) closed within three points of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. He started all 14 games in February and allowed one goal or fewer eight times, including each of his final five appearances. He recorded his fourth shutout of the season and 16th of his NHL career in a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks Feb. 13 and turned aside 41 of 42 shots in a 3-1 victory at Dallas on Feb. 26.

JanuaryFirst Star -- RW Jamie Langenbrunner, New JerseySecond Star -- D Scott Niedermayer, AnaheimThird Star -- G Ryan Miller, Buffalo

DecemberFirst Star -- G Manny Fernandez and Tim Thomas, BostonSecond Star -- C Jeff Carter, PhiladelphiaThird Star -- LW Alex Ovechkin, Washington

November

First Star -- LW Alex Ovechkin, WashingtonSecond Star -- C Evgeni Malkin, PittsburghThird Star -- G Joey MacDonald, N.Y. Islanders

October

First Star -- LW Alexander Semin, WashingtonSecond Star -- G Henrik Lundqvist, N.Y. RangersThird Star -- D Shea Weber, Nashville

January -- RW Bobby Ryan, AnaheimDecember -- G Steve Mason, ColumbusNovember -- G Steve Mason, ColumbusOctober -- C Derick Brassard, Columbus