No. 1 Star: Matt Cullen, Minnesota Wild
Cullen opened the game with a shorthanded goal and scored his second of the game seven minutes later to put the Wild up for good as they beat Colorado 3-1. He could finished off the night with a hand in each of Minnesota's three goals by assisting on Andrew Brunette's seventh of the year early in the second period. Niklas Backstrom won for the fourth time in five starts after making 36 saves.
No. 2 Star: Josh Bailey, New York Islanders
In his second game back after being sent to Bridgeport of the AHL, Bailey scored twice in a 2:30 span in the first period to pace the Islanders during a 5-1 win over New Jersey, ruining new Devils head coach Jacques Lemaire's return behind the bench. John Tavares would score five minutes later as New York took a 3-0 lead after 12 minutes. Dwayne Roloson made 34 saves for wins in back-to-back nights as the Islanders won for the third time in four games.
No. 3 Star: Shawn Thornton, Boston Bruins
Thornton came within an assist of completing the Gordie Howe Hat Trick a his fight and pair of goals led the Bruins over Atlanta 4-1. Tim Thomas made 26 saves and Patrice Bergeron recorded two points to reach 300 for his career. Thornton's two goals gave him nine on the season to set a career high.
Near the end of the game, Freddy Meyer leveled Milan Lucic with what the Bruins forward called "cheap". A line brawl ensued and Lucic earned a match penalty, meaning an automatic one-game suspension:
Honorable mention: Ryan Malone's goal in the 11th round of the shootout helped Tampa Bay get by the New York Ranges 4-3. Dan Ellis made 34 saves and Steven Stamkos scored his 27th goal in the win ... Alex Kovalev scored his first goal in almost a month and Brian Elliott made 25 saves as Ottawa slipped passed Nashville 2-1 ... Raffi Torres scored twice and the Sedin twins combined for seven points as the Vancouver Canucks put a 7-3 hurting on the Columbus Blue Jackets. Alex Burrows added a goal and an assist and Cory Schneider made 24 saves for his first win since Nov. 4th ... A pair of goals from Patrick Marleau and three points from Joe Thornton helped boost San Jose past Phoenix 4-1 for their fourth straight victory ... Carey Price's 22 saves and Alexandre Picard's go-ahead goal with a minute remaining in the second period boosted Montreal over Carolina 4-3. The Canadiens' power play scored twice in a 2:03 span to give them the lead for good. Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward played in his 300th NHL game ... Nine days before their Winter Classic matchup, Pascal Dupuis scored the shootout clinching goal in the seventh round as Pittsburgh beat Washington 3-2. Marc-Andre Fleury made 32 saves and Sidney Crosby extended his points streak to 23 games with a goal and an assist ... Alex Tanguay tied the game at two with 1:21 to go and then tallied the only goal in the shootout as Calgary got by Dallas 3-2. The Stars haven't lost in regulation at home in 13 games. Jarome Iginla and Jamie Benn went at it during a classic scrap ... Patrik Berglund snapped a 10-game goalless drought with a pair and Jaroslav Halak stopped 35 shots as St. Louis edged Detroit 4-3 ... Two goals from Chris Higgins and 45 saves from Tomas Vokoun helped stave off a Buffalo comeback as Florida escaped with a 4-3 win over the Sabres. Jordan Leopold scored twice for Buffalo in the second period as they came back from a 3-0 deficit. Florida's Jason Garrison broke the deadlock with 5:07 remaining in the game ... Jack Johnson had a goal and an assist and Jonathan Quick made 27 saves, including four in the shootout as Los Angeles defeated Edmonton 3-2.
Did you know? Ryan Miller (200th) and Chris Osgood (400th) were both denied milestone victories tonight.
Dishonorable mention: The Canucks scored six times on Mathieu Garon before he was pulled in favor of Steve Mason ... Dropping to 1-6-0 since returning from injury, Martin Brodeur allowed five goals on just 14 shots in his 1,100th NHL game. New Jersey has now lost nine of their last 10 games ... Matt Cooke's 185-foot clearance led to a penalty that allowed Mike Green to scored the tying goal.
Tina Fey Gina Philips Jamie Gunns Ananda Lewis Kate Bosworth
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