One could argue that no one in the NHL is as red-hot as Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko, and if anyone has earned the right to be called this week's First Star, it's him. But that's our bias showing again.
That said, the NHL didn't ask us, but did name Tarasenko its ‘Second Star’ for the week ending Feb. 17. Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby were named first and third star, respectively.
Tarasenko, 27, shared first overall with 10 points (four goals, six assists) and shared the lead among all forwards with a +7 rating last week.
The 6’0, 225-pound forward delivered four multi-point outings throughout the week, beginning with a three-assist night on Feb. 12 vs. New Jersey. Next, he posted a pair of goals on Feb. 14 in Arizona before recording a goal and an assist on Feb. 16 in Colorado and a goal and two assists on Feb. 17 in Minnesota.
Tarasenko’s performance led the Blues to four wins last week, stretching their overall win streak to a franchise-record-tying 10 games. Overall, the Yaroslavl, Russia, native is riding a career-best 11-game point streak (10 goals, 10 assists) and leads the NHL with nine goals and 19 points overall in the month of February.
