HabsWorld.net -- 

Much like the HW 3 Stars voting for December,
January’s results were dominated by selections for two Montreal Canadiens in
particular. 
Although there was some variety when it came to selecting the 2nd and 3rd stars,
Carey Price and Max Pacioretty were the only two players that received
consideration for the first star of the month; this might come as no surprise
as the pair single-handedly won back-to-back games at the end of the month.  P.K. Subban rounded
out the HW 3 Stars for January 2015, while his defence partner, Andrei Markov,
earned an honourable mention.

 

1st Star Carey Price
9 GP –
7 W – 1 L – 1 OTL – 1.53 GAA – 0.951 SV% – 2 SO

January was a great month for Carey, as he posted season-best numbers in
all goaltending categories.  In addition to that success, he was
selected to play in the NHL All-Star game and was also named the NHL’s
1st star for the last week of January.  Excluding the All-Star
Game, Price allowed more than 2 goals only once in 9 starts, and allowed
just 1 or fewer goals an impressive 4 times.  Price finished the month
in the most impressive way possible for a goaltender by posting two consecutive 1-0
shutouts against playoff-contending teams.  After a month like
this, it’s absolutely no surprise that Carey seems to be earning
consideration for both the Hart and Vezina trophies.
 

★


87%
★★


13%
★★★

2%
2nd Star Max Pacioretty 11 GP –
9 G –
3 A – 12 P – +6
Rating


Max Pacioretty is beginning to really carve out a niche for scoring
timely goals in the NHL.  While Carey Price did most of the heavy lifting
in the consecutive 1-0 shutout wins, it was Pacioretty that tallied both
game-winning goals, and he places among the league leaders in the
game-winning-goals category.  Pacioretty’s scoring shouldn’t come
as a surprise to many, but it is his defensive play that is starting to
garner some attention from the critics; few would have predicted that
Max would be leading the league in plus/minus at the start of the
season.  The reality is that Pacioretty has become a genuine 200-foot
player, and his +6 rating for January further supports this statement.

★


13%
★★


69%
★★★

9%
3rd Star P.K. Subban 11 GP –
3 G –
7 A – 10 P – -1
Rating

While the biggest story surrounding P.K. Subban in January might have
been his omission from the NHL All-Star Game, Subban quietly had
one of his better months of the 2014-15 season.  Recording points
at nearly a point-per-game clip (10 points in 11 games), it was P.K.’s
performance on the powerplay that really stood out last month. 
Many had bemoaned the productivity of Montreal’s powerplay since the
start of the season (and rightfully so), but the efforts of Subban and
his defensive partner, Andrei Markov, improved the Canadiens’
man-advantage unit to the point of respectability.   Even
though the ever-maturing Subban isn’t as likely to take himself out of
position as readily as before, he was no stranger to physical play last
month and placed
3rd on the Canadiens in hits.

★

0%
★★

11%
★★★

42%
Honourable Mention Andrei Markov 11 GP –
0 G –
8 A – 8 P – Even
Rating

Andrei Markov might not have scored any goals in January, but his effect
on the scoresheet was significant nonetheless.  Markov led all
Canadiens with 8 assists, and as mentioned above, his performance on the
powerplay allowed the Canadiens to win some games with a little more
ease.  Although many are apprehensive with the amount of minutes
that the veteran is playing on a regular basis, there are a few signs of
fatigue, and he and P.K. Subban combine to form one of the league’s best
defensive duos.  No one-trick pony, Markov’s contributions are
evident at both ends of the ice, and his 28 blocked shots led all
Canadiens in that department.

★

0%
★★

0%
★★★

27%


Thanks to everyone that voted, and be sure to check in for next month’s edition of
the HW 3 Stars.