No. 1 star, Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes:
With the way Carolina was scoring goals of late, goaltending had become an afterthought. But on Monday night when the Hurricanes needed stout puck-stopping, Cam Ward was there to answer the bell. Ward denied the Rangers at every turn. His 28 saves added up to a fifth shutout of the season and No. 10 of his career. Ward helped to thwart all four New York power plays while making the most of a 15th straight start. His effort enabled Carolina to win a season-high fourth straight, and it moved the Hurricanes into sixth place in the bunched Eastern Conference standings.
No. 2 star, Jarret Stoll, Los Angeles Kings:
Don't count out those Kings just yet. Jarret Stoll helped the hosts cap a perfect homestand with a pair of power-play goals as Los Angeles captured its third straight on home ice before heading out to finish the season with 12 of 16 on the road. Stoll scored his first of the night at 12:17 of the opening period and collected his 18th of the season at 12:51 of the middle period, a goal that represented the game-winner. In addition to a team-high five shots on goal, Stoll won 14 of 20 draws during 20:04 of ice time.
No. 3 star, Matt Greene, Los Angeles Kings:
Anyone who uses his noggin, literally, to block a shot in the dying moments of a one-goal game gets the nod here. Greene was in a tough spot, laying in the slot, and while he initially looked away, he turned just in time to take a shot off the right side of his helmet, a blow that caught a bit of his forehead and left a bloody gash. Greene also led L.A. defensemen in hits (3) and all Kings in ice time (21:39).
Honorable mention: Rookie goalie Brian Elliott stopped 25 of 26 shots as the Senators beat the Maple Leafs. … Twenty-two-year-old Ontario-born defenseman Phil Oreskovic made his NHL debut for Toronto … Actress Hilary Duff graced a luxury suite in Ottawa.
Did you know?: Curtis Joseph became the sixth goalie in league history to surrender 2,500 goals as Daniel Alfredsson escorted the 41-year-old goalie into that select group with his 352nd career goal. Joseph joins Gilles Meloche, Grant Fuhr (each with a record 2,756 allowed), John Vanbiesbrouck, Tony Esposito and Patrick Roy.
Dishonorable mention: The Rangers are 1-8-2 during their last 11 games on the road. … Look, the new tradition of having fathers of players join the team for a select road trip during the season is cool, especially when the dads all sit together wearing the jerseys of their sons. But what doesn't work is a "Mom's trip", which is exactly what the Vancouver Canucks hosts in Los Angeles Monday. When asked what plans they had afterward, the answer was go shopping. Need we say more?
