Today the National Hockey League announced their Three Stars of the Week for the week of March 23rd through 29th.
First Star – Jakub Dobes (G – MON)
- Dobes registered a League-best 100 saves on 104 shots against, going 3-0-0 with a 1.33 goals-against average and .962 save percentage to help the Canadiens (42-21-10, 94 points) extend their winning streak to five games (dating to March 21) as they maintained their hold on third place in the Atlantic Division. Dobes made a career-high 41 stops, turning aside each of the last 33 shots he faced, in a 5-2 multi-goal comeback victory against the Carolina Hurricanes March 24. He then yielded one goal in each of his next two starts, making 25 saves in a 2-1 triumph over the Columbus Blue Jackets March 26 followed by 34 stops (including 26 straight to end the game) in a 3-1 come-from-behind win versus the Hurricanes March 29. The 24-year-old Dobes, a fifth-round pick (136th overall) from the 2020 NHL Draft, leads rookie goaltenders with 25 victories – six more than the next-closest rookie – through 37 total appearances this season (25-8-4, 2.78 GAA, .900 SV%). His 25 wins are the most by a Montreal rookie in a single campaign since Steve Penney in 1984-85 (26-18-8 in 54 GP).
Second Star – Pavel Zacha (C – BOS)
- Zacha topped the NHL with 5-3—8 in four contests to propel the Bruins (42-24-8, 92 points) to a trio of wins as they created a four-point cushion for the first Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference. He recorded one assist in a 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs March 24. Zacha then collected 1-1—2, assisting on the tying goal with 6:00 remaining in regulation before notching his eighth career overtime winner, in a 4-3 triumph over the Buffalo Sabres March 25. He added 4-1—5 over a pair of weekend games, scoring twice in a 6-3 win against the Minnesota Wild March 28 before posting 2-1—3, including the tying goal with 11.0 seconds left in regulation, in a 4-3 shootout victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets March 29 – the ninth three-goal, third-period comeback win in Boston history (and first since March 13, 2018 at CAR). The 28-year-old Zacha ranks third on the Bruins with 28-31—59 through 71 total games this season, matching his career high established in 2023-24 (21-38—59 in 78 GP).
Third Star – John Carlson (D – ANA)
- Carlson shared first place in the NHL with seven assists in three games (0-7—7) to guide the Pacific Division-leading Ducks (41-28-4, 86 points) to a pair of victories. He tallied three helpers, his 17th career three-assist effort and second of the season (also Nov. 19 vs. EDM), in a 5-3 triumph versus the Vancouver Canucks March 24. Carlson then assisted on Mikael Grandlund’s tying goal with 3:33 left in regulation as well as his winner with 1.0 second remaining in overtime in a 3-2 comeback victory over the Calgary Flames March 26. He added two more helpers in a 4-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers March 28. The 36-year-old Carlson sits 12th among defensemen with 10-44—54 through 62 total contests this season, including 0-8—8 in seven appearances since being acquired by Anaheim prior to the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.
*All Graphics courtesy of the NHL, Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, and Anaheim Ducks.
*Player Profiles written by NHL PR Staff.
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