Shesterkin, Bouchard and Cotter named NHL's Three Stars of the Week
The Rangers goalie scored a goal, the Oilers defenceman made history in the opener, and the Canucks winger shared the league lead in goals.
Igor Shesterkin scored a goal, and that was only part of his week. The Rangers goaltender, Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard and Canucks left winger Paul Cotter are the NHL's Three Stars for the week ending Oct. 4.
Shesterkin went 2-1-0 with a 1.67 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage in three appearances. He stopped 23 of 24 shots in a 5-1 win over Tampa Bay on Oct. 1 and scored the first goal by a goalie in Rangers history, becoming the 18th goaltender in NHL history to score in the regular season. He added 28 saves and his fourth career assist in a 4-2 win over Utah on Oct. 4. The Rangers finished the opening week atop the league standings with three wins and one loss in four games.
Bouchard had four goals and four assists for eight points in three games, the most among defencemen and second in the league overall. He opened with five points, including a hat trick, in a 6-5 overtime loss to Vancouver on Sept. 29, the first time a defenceman has recorded five points in a season opener. He followed with three points in a 9-7 win over the Canucks on Oct. 1, and the Oilers (2-0-1) closed the week with a 3-1 win over Seattle on Oct. 3.
Cotter, who signed with Vancouver as a free agent in the offseason, shared the league lead with four goals in four games and added two assists. He scored twice in his Canucks debut, including a shorthanded goal and the overtime winner against Edmonton, a first for a Vancouver player in his debut. Vancouver finished the opening week with two wins and two losses.
