Backstrom, Savard, Richards named NHL's Three Stars

Feb 26, 2007 - 7:16 PM NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Niklas Backstrom continued to give the NHL's weekly awards a distinct Scandinavian flavor.

Ending the two-week reign of Detroit Red Wings Swede Henrik Zetterberg, the Finnish goaltender of the Minnesota Wild was named the league's First Star of the Week on Monday.

Filling in for the injured Manny Fernandez, Backstrom went 3-0-0 with a 1.62 goals-against average and .933 save percentage last week. The 29-year-old netminder made 23 saves in a 2-1 shootout win over Dallas on Tuesday, stopped 28 shots against Colorado in Thursday's 4-3 triumph and turned aside 19 in a 4-1 victory over Edmonton on Sunday.

Backstrom, who has started 11 consecutive games while Fernandez recovers from a sprained left knee, is 13-7-4 with a 2.23 GAA and .923 save percentage this season, his first in the NHL.

Boston Bruins center Marc Savard was named the Second Star of the Week after recording two goals and seven assists in four games. It is the second award of the season for the 29-year-old, who earned the First Star honors for the week ending November 5.

Savard, who signed a four-year, $20 million contract with Boston last summer, began last week with a goal and two assists in a 6-3 victory over Philadelphia on February 19 and set up a tally in a 3-0 triumph at Toronto a day later. After recording three assists in a 6-2 victory over Tampa Bay on Friday, he scored one goal and set up the other in a 7-2 loss at Florida the next night.

With 82 points, Savard leads the Bruins and is fourth overall in the NHL. He also is third in the league with 61 assists, trailing only Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby (71) and San Jose's Joe Thornton (62).

Brad Richards of the Lightning secured the Third Star of the Week honor with his second career four-point effort in Sunday's 5-1 victory over the Penguins.

The 2004 Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Richards matched Savard with nine points in four games last week. Prior to notching a goal and three assists against Pittsburgh, the 26-year-old collected a tally and three assists in wins over Florida on Tuesday and Atlanta on Thursday and set up a goal in Friday's loss to Boston.