Brodeur, Iginla, Kovalchuk named Stars of Week

Martin Brodeur made a stirring return from a four-month layoff due to an elbow injury. Andy Marlin/NHLI via Getty Images

New York (AP) -- 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, Flames
Iginla 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.

PRIOR STARS

Feb. 23
First Star -- C Mike Richards, Philadelphia
Second Star -- G Tomas Vokoun, Florida
Third Star -- G Cristobal Huet, Chicago

Feb. 16
First Star -- LW Zach Parise, New Jersey
Second Star -- C Matthew Lombardi, Calgary
Third Star -- LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta

Feb. 9
First Star -- G Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles
Second Star -- RW Marian Hossa, Detroit
Third Star -- D Mike Green, Washington

Feb. 2
First Star -- RW Jamie Langenbrunner, New Jersey
Second Star -- C Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh
Third Star -- D Mike Green, Washington

Jan. 26
First Star -- LW Dustin Brown, Los Angeles
Second Star -- G Cam Ward, Carolina
Third Star -- RW Ales Hemsky, Edmonton

Jan. 19
First Star -- C Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit
Second Star -- LW Mike Cammalleri, Calgary
Third Star -- C Rich Peverley, Atlanta

Jan. 12
First Star -- LW Wojtek Wolski, Colorado
Second Star -- RW Bobby Ryan, Anaheim
Third Star -- C Gregory Campbell, Florida

Jan. 5
First Star -- LW Rick Nash, Columbus
Second Star -- D Brian Rafalski, Detroit
Third Star -- G Cam Ward, Carolina

Dec. 29
First Star -- LW Alex Ovechkin, Washington
Second Star -- C Bryan Little, Atlanta
Third Star -- G Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles

Dec. 22
First Star -- LW Loui Eriksson, Dallas
Second Star -- C Jeff Carter, Philadelphia
Third Star -- LW Patrik Elias, New Jersey

Dec. 15
First Star -- RW Phil Kessel, Boston
Second Star -- RW Petr Sykora, Pittsburgh
Third Star -- LW Thomas Vanek, Buffalo

Dec. 8
First Star -- G Pekka Rinne, Nashville
Second Star -- C Jonathan Toews, Chicago
Third Star -- C Jason Spezza, Ottawa

Dec. 1
First Star -- C Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh
Second Star -- G Jonas Hiller, Anaheim
Third Star -- G Chris Mason, St. Louis

Nov. 24
First Star -- C Marc Savard, Boston
Second Star -- C Henrik Sedin, Vancouver
Third Star -- G Nikolai Khabibulin, Chicago

Nov. 17
First Star -- C Nicklas Backstrom, Washington
Second Star -- LW Alex Ovechkin, Washington
Third Star -- G Dan Ellis, Nashville

Nov. 10
First Star -- G Roberto Luongo, Vancouver
Second Star -- G Steve Mason, Columbus
Third Star -- G Brent Johnson, Washington

Nov. 3
First Star -- C Ryan Getzlaf, RW Corey Perry and RW Teemu Selanne, Anaheim
Second Star -- G Tim Thomas, Boston
Third Star -- LW Simon Gagne, Philadelphia

Oct. 27

First Star -- RW Jarome Iginla, Calgary
Second Star -- G Peter Budaj, Colorado
Third Star -- RW Marian Hossa, Detroit

Oct. 20
First Star -- LW Thomas Vanek, Buffalo
Second Star -- G Niklas Backstrom, Minnesota
Third Star -- LW Fabian Brunnstrom, Dallas

Oct. 13
First Star -- F Daniel Sedin, Vancouver
Second Star -- LW David Booth, Florida
Third Star -- G Martin Brodeur, New Jersey

Stars of the Month

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.

January
First Star -- RW Jamie Langenbrunner, New Jersey
Second Star -- D Scott Niedermayer, Anaheim
Third Star -- G Ryan Miller, Buffalo

December
First Star -- G Manny Fernandez and Tim Thomas, Boston
Second Star -- C Jeff Carter, Philadelphia
Third Star -- LW Alex Ovechkin, Washington

November

First Star -- LW Alex Ovechkin, Washington
Second Star -- C Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh
Third Star -- G Joey MacDonald, N.Y. Islanders

October

First Star -- LW Alexander Semin, Washington
Second Star -- G Henrik Lundqvist, N.Y. Rangers
Third Star -- D Shea Weber, Nashville

Rookie of the Month

January -- RW Bobby Ryan, Anaheim
December -- G Steve Mason, Columbus
November -- G Steve Mason, Columbus
October -- C Derick Brassard, Columbus