LA Kings goaltender Martin Jones earns NHL "Three Stars" honor for the week

Los Angeles Kings goaltender Martin Jones, Washington Capitals star right wing Alex Ovechkin, and Nashville Predators goaltender Carter Hutton have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week.

Jones' honor is another indication of the outstanding play the Kings have received at the position despite the absence of injured star goaltender Jonathan Quick for much of the season.  Listed below are the "Three Stars" accomplishments for the week:

MARTIN JONES, G, LOS ANGELES KINGS

Jones posted a 3-0-0 record with a 1.00 goals-against average, .972 save percentage, and one shutout to help the Kings (22-8-4, 48 points) move into second place in the Pacific Division and third in the League standings. He made 31 saves for his second consecutive shutout in a 6-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on December 10.  Jones then extended his shutout streak to 177:16 before allowing a second-period goal in a 3-1 triumph over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Jones capped the week by recording 37 saves in a 5-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on December 14, the second consecutive game in which he faced 39 shots. The 23-year-old North Vancouver native made his League debut December 3, and is 5-0-0 with a 0.99 goals-against average, .967 save percentage, and two shutouts in his first five NHL games. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he is the first goaltender in League history to allow an average of less than one goal per game while winning each of his first five career appearances.


ALEX OVECHKIN, RW, WASHINGTON CAPITALS

Ovechkin led the NHL with five goals and tied for third with six points as the Capitals (18-12-3, 39 points) earned five out of a possible six points to maintain second place in the Metropolitan Division. He began the week by recording his third career four-goal game (and 13th career hat trick), including the tying marker with 32.4 seconds remaining in regulation, in a 6-5 shootout victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Ovechkin then scored the tying goal with 47.9 seconds left in the third period, in a 5-4 shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers on December 15, the Capitals’ second three-goal comeback of the week. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Ovechkin has seven game-tying goals in the final minute of regulation during his NHL career; no other player has scored more than four such goals since he entered the League in October 2005. The 28-year-old Moscow native leads the NHL with 27 goals in 31 games this season and is tied for fifth with 37 points.

CARTER HUTTON, G, NASHVILLE PREDATORS

Hutton compiled a 3-0-0 record with a 1.33 goals-against average and .960 save percentage to lead the Predators (16-14-3, 35 points) to their second three-game winning streak of the season. He allowed one goal in both a 4-1 triumph over the New York Rangers (28 saves) and a 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars (33 saves). Hutton then posted 36 saves, his second-highest total of the season, in a 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks on December 14.

The 27-year-old Thunder Bay, Ontario, native has appeared in 14 games this season, posting a 7-3-1 record with a 2.76 goals-against average and .913 save percentage.

By Staff of The Daily Sports Herald and news services