Zetterberg Heads NHL ’3 Stars’

NEW YORK (November 16, 2009) — Detroit Red Wings left wing Henrik Zetterberg, Atlanta Thrashers left wing Ilya Kovalchuk and Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller have been named the NHL ‘Three Stars’ for the week ending Nov. 15.

FIRST STAR — HENRIK ZETTERBERG, LW, DETROIT RED WINGS
Zetterberg led all scorers with nine points (four goals, five assists), tallied two game-winning goals and recorded a +5 rating, helping the Red Wings (10-5-3) post three consecutive victories. Zetterberg notched a pair of assists and a +2 rating in a 9-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets Nov. 11 and tallied the game-winning goal, an assist and a +2 rating in a 3-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks Nov. 12. Zetterberg completed the week by posting a career-high five points (three goals, two assists), including the game-winning goal, in a 7-4 victory over the Anaheim Ducks Nov. 14. Zetterberg scored all three goals in the third period in notching his fourth career hat trick. The 29-year-old Njurunda, Sweden native leads the Red Wings in scoring with 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists) in 18 games.

SECOND STAR — ILYA KOVALCHUK, LW, ATLANTA THRASHERS
(three goals, five assists) as the Thrashers (10-6-1) won three consecutive games. Kovalchuk recorded a goal and two assists in a 5-3 win over the New York Rangers Nov. 12, notched four points (two goals, two assists) in a 7-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings Nov. 13 and tallied an assist in a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers Nov. 15. Kovalchuk is off to the fastest start of his eight-year NHL career with a club-leading 12 goals in his first 11 games.

THIRD STAR — RYAN MILLER, G, BUFFALO SABRES
Miller posted a 3-0-0 record with a 1.30 goals-against average and .953 save percentage, helping the Sabres (12-4-1) open a five-point lead in the Northeast Division. Miller stopped 28 shots in a 3-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers Nov. 11, turned aside 25 shots and three of four shootout attempts in a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames Nov. 13 and made 29 saves in a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers Nov. 14. Miller improved to 12-2-1 with a League-leading 1.77 goals-against average, a .939 save percentage and two shutouts in 15 appearances.