McDavid, Mackinnon, and Ullmark Named Three Stars of February
via NHL.com
Another month of the 2022-2023 NHL season has come and gone, and we were treated to some outstanding player performances this past month. Three of those performances have stood out among the rest to claim the honors of the NHL’s Three Stars of the month for February. Those three players are Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, Nathan Mackinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, and Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins.
NHL’s Third Star of the Month – Linus Ullmark
Ullmark was flawless in the month of February finishing the month with a perfect 6-0-0 record. To go along with that he also had a goals-against average of 1.79 and a .947 save percentage to help lead Boston to a 9-1-0 record in February. On February 25 he helped the Bruins to a 3-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks where he became the second-fastest goaltender to reach 30 wins in a season and he became just the 13th goalie in NHL history to score a regular season goal. In the team’s last game of the month, Ullmark set a new career high and franchise record for saves when he made 54 saves to lead Boston to a 4-3 overtime win against the Calgary Flames. The 29-year-old Swedish goaltender currently leads the league in all three goalie categories, wins, goals-against average, and save percentage, and is looking to be just the sixth goalie in history to finish a season atop all three.
NHL’s Second Star of the Month – Nathan Mackinnon
Mackinnon finished the month third in points with nine goals and eight assists for 17 points in just 10 games. He was second in the league in points per game with 1.70 and helped lead the Avalanche to a 7-1-2 record in the month to get them to third place in the Central Division. 15 of his 17 points were even-strength points which were good enough for first in the league for even-strength points. He finished the month with an eight-game point streak and in total, he had points in nine of his ten games, including six multi-point games. The 27-year-old forward has only played in 47 of Colorado’s 58 games due to an injury but despite that still leads the Avalanche in points with 73 points. Those 73 points are good enough for 17th in the NHL and he is also sixth in shots on goal with 248 and ninth in assists with 49.
NHL’s First Star of the Month – Connor McDavid
McDavid had an incredible month playing in 11 games and leading the league in assists with 14, points with 23, shots on goal with 63, powerplay assists with seven, powerplay points with eight, shorthanded goals with two, and shorthanded points with three. He was also second in goals with nine and led all forwards in ice time with 23:41. He put up at least a point in 10 of his 11 games, including seven with multiple points, to lead the Oilers to a 4-3-4 record. He hit 100 points on the season for the sixth time in his career this month and became the first player since the 1995-1996 season to score 50 goals in 61 or fewer games. The 26-year-old forward is having a season for the ages with him currently leading the league in goals with 52, assists with 69, and points with 121. He is on pace to become the first player since Mario Lemieux in 1995-1996 to score 150 points in a season.
