Montreal Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak was unflappable in the face of heavy pressure last week. (Karl B DeBlaker/Associated Press)Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jaroslav Halak was named the NHL's first star of the previous week of action, a distinction he certainly earned.
Halak won all three of his starts despite facing a whopping 146 shots. He allowed just six goals as Montreal beat Atlanta, Carolina and Toronto. The Slovakian netminder had a .959 save percentage, stopping at least 46 shots in each game.
Chicago Blackhawks right-winger Patrick Kane was named second star after leading all NHL players with five goals for the week ended Dec. 27. Kane scored the winning goal each time and also added three assists as Chicago went 3-1 for the week.
Kane finished the week strongly, scoring twice and adding an assist in a 5-4 victory over Nashville on Sunday.
Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo rounded out the list of three stars. Luongo allowed just one goal in each of Vancouver's three wins. He stopped 73 of 76 shots for a .961 save percentage as the Canucks made a significant move up the Western Conference standings.
