No, no, no, the NHL didn’t get this one right when they unveiled their Three Stars of the Week. It was great to see Tage Thompson in the mix, and I even stated he deserved to be the First Star in terms of skaters, as we’re ranking skaters and goaltenders separately here.
But Ilya Sorokin? Hey, Sorokin had a great week, but he wasn’t the best goaltender as January faded and February arrived. Second best? You can make the argument. Instead, I got another name for you who should’ve done more than enough to unseat Sorokin.
Before I talk about why that was, let me hand out an honorable mention in the form of a Third Star. And that’s where the discussion continues below.
Third Star: Alex Nedeljkovic, Pittsburgh Penguins
Let’s start with Alex Nedeljkovic, who played a major role in the Penguins 3-0 shutout win over the Nashville Predators. But it wasn’t the only game in which Nedeljkovic shined, as he finished the past week with a 1.32 GAA, a 0.951 save percentage, and just four goals allowed.
If the Pens are going to claw their way back into contention, their netminders must be at the top of their respective games, and Nedeljkovic has held up his end of the deal. Should he keep it up, the Pens will have a chance.
Second Star: Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders
Okay, now it’s time to talk about Ilya Sorokin. And despite what I said about him, it still doesn’t take away from the epic week he enjoyed. In case you missed it, his numbers consisted of a shutout, a 1.33 GAA, three wins, and a 0.953 save percentage.
Impressive stats, but another reason Sorokin still shouldn’t have ended up as the First Star this week comes from the fact the New York Islanders have been lights-out lately. This entire team deserves a round of applause for their continued efforts to make a postseason run possible, and it takes more than Sorokin to make that happen.
First Star: MacKenzie Blackwood, Colorado Avalanche
There’s no way you snub somebody who had arguably the most epic week of the season between the pipes. MacKenzie Blackwood, who I once had a so-so opinion of at best, is proving me wrong by the week. This time around, he finished with a 1.35 GAA, a 0.943 save percentage, and two shutouts.
You can’t get much better than that, and even if his numbers were a tad lower than Nedeljkovic and Sorokin’s the two shutouts and resurgence in the Colorado net should’ve won him this. Here’s to hoping Blackwood keeps this pace up, as decent goaltending’s been hard to come by in Denver.