HW 3 Stars – January 2015

Matt Dilworth

10 years ago

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.

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