NHL Stars of Week

Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin, New York Rangers forward Jaromir Jagr and San Jose Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov have been named the NHL's Three Stars for the week ending December 30.

FIRST STAR: Alexander Ovechkin, F, Washington Capitals

Ovechkin tied for first among NHL scorers with seven points (5-2--7) as the Capitals won two of three games. On Dec. 26, he notched one assist in a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. On Dec. 27, he scored a goal in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He finished the week by recording four goals and one assist in an 8-6 win over the Ottawa Senators. Ovechkin leads the Capitals and is 10th in overall NHL scoring with 48 points (30-18--48) in 39 games. His 30 goals place him second in the league behind Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk (32).

SECOND STAR: Jaromir Jagr, F, New York Rangers

Jagr tied for first among NHL scorers with seven points (4-3--7) in three games. On Dec. 26, he recorded two goals in a 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. He had one goal and three assists in a 6-1 victory over Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 29 and scored a goal in a 4-3 overtime victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 30. For the season, Jagr is second on the Rangers with 34 points (11-23--34) in 39 games.

THIRD STAR: Evgeni Nabokov, G, San Jose Sharks

Nabokov posted a record of 3-0-0, a 1.34 goals-against average and .949 save percentage and one shutout as San Jose (21-12-5, 47 points) recorded three road victories. On Dec. 26, he recorded 34 saves in a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. On Dec. 28, he made 26 saves in recording his fifth shutout of the season, a 1-0 win over the St Louis Blues. He finished the week recording 21 saves in a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators. Nabokov has appeared in all 38 Sharks games, posting a 21-12-5 record with a 1.99 goals-against average, .919 save percentage and five shutouts.

Dec. 24First Star -- Marian Gaborik, RW, MinnesotaSecond Star -- Kari Lehtonen, G, AtlantaThird Star -- Jason Arnott, C, Nashville

Dec. 17First Star -- Jarome Iginla, RW, CalgarySecond Star -- Sergei Zubov, D, DallasThird Star -- Joffrey Lupul, RW, Philadelphia

Dec. 10First Star -- Milan Hejduk, RW, ColoradoSecond Star -- Dominik Hasek, G, DetroitThird Star -- Anze Kopitar, C, Los Angeles

Dec. 3First Star -- Roberto Luongo, G, VancouverSecond Star -- Martin Brodeur, G, New JerseyThird Star -- Niklas Backstrom, G, Minnesota

Nov. 26First Star -- Daniel Briere, C, PhiladelphiaSecond Star -- Ilya Bryzgalov, G, PhoenixThird Star -- Mike Smith, G, Dallas

Nov. 19First Star -- Vincent Lecavalier, C, Tampa BaySecond Star -- Evgeni Nabokov, G, San JoseThird Star -- Martin Erat, RW, Nashville

Nov. 12First Star -- Vincent Lecavalier, C, Tampa BaySecond Star -- Steven Reinprecht, F, PhoenixThird Star -- Jeremy Roenick, C, San Jose

Nov. 5First Star -- Ilya Kovalchuk, LW, AtlantaSecond Star -- Henrik Lundqvist, G, N.Y. RangersThird Star -- Marian Gaborik, RW, Minnesota

Oct. 29First Star -- Jason LaBarbera, G, Los AngelesSecond Star -- Rod Brind'Amour, C, CarolinaThird Star -- Alex Ovechkin, F, Washington

Oct. 22First Star -- Martin Biron, G, PhiladelphiaSecond Star -- Jarome Iginla, RW, CalgaryThird Star -- Jason Williams, F, Chicago

Oct. 15First Star -- Cam Ward, G, CarolinaSecond Star -- Bryan Campbell, D, BuffaloThird Star -- Henrik Zetterberg, F, Detroit

Oct. 8First Star -- Paul Stastny, C, ColoradoSecond Star -- Mike Comrie, C, N.Y. IslandersThird Star -- Chris Mason, G, Nashville

NovemberFirst Star -- Ilya Kovalchuk, LW, AtlantaSecond Star -- Roberto Luongo, G, VancouverThird Star -- Vincent Lecavalier, C, Tampa Bay

OctoberFirst Star -- Henrik Zetterberg, F, DetroitSecond Star -- Pascal Leclaire, G, ColumbusThird Star -- Jarome Iginla, RW, Calgary

November -- Tobias Enstrom, D, AtlantaOctober -- Patrick Kane, RW, Chicago

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)