My Three Stars Of The Game

I was looking at the three stars as selected by the writers who covered last night's Devil 1-0 shutout of the Rangers and noticed an omission. Henrik Lundqvist definitely deserved a star. If not for his goaltending, it wouldn't have even been close. Through the first two periods with his team severely outplayed, the second-year Swedish netminder gave his club a chance by repelling 24 of 25 shots, thwarting several point blank chances to keep it close.

In a shutout, I can see why he might have been overlooked. Especially when you consider the defensive effort the Devils put out. However, I definitely think this was one of Henrik's best games in what's been an inconsistent season. If I was choosing the three stars, I'd go:

3rd Star-Jay Pandolfo, Devils- completely blanketed Jagr and continues run at Selke
2nd Star-Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers- finished with 31 saves in losing effort
1st Star-Martin Brodeur, Devils- stopped all 26 his way for league best eighth shutout

At some point this week, we're going to take a look at the All Stars that were selected this past weekend and see who got left out. It's always a fun debate.

Also saw that the Islanders dropped their third straight falling at Pittsburgh 5-2 as Sidney Crosby torched them for two more goals. The second-year 19 year-old phenom continues to blitz the NHL in attempting to become the youngest ever Art Ross winner. If he somehow gets his team into the postseason, look for the league to tilt the MVP race towards the face of the league over Brodeur, Marian Hossa, Dominik Hasek, etc.

We'll be looking at our prime candidates during next week's break. Stay tuned.