NEW YORK – Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby and Los Angeles Kings center Jeff Carter have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending March 10.

FIRST STAR – SERGEI BOBROVSKY, G, COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Bobrovsky posted a League-high four victories to go along with a 0.77 goals-against average, .972 save percentage and one shutout as Columbus stretched its winning streak to five games. He began the week with 18 saves, plus another two in the shootout, upon relieving Steve Mason in a 4-3 triumph over the Edmonton Oilers March 5. Bobrovsky then made 34 stops, including 16 in the second period, in a 2-1 overtime victory against the Vancouver Canucks March 7. He capped his performance with a pair of weekend wins over the Detroit Red Wings, recording 30 saves for his first career shutout March 9 and another 21 stops in a 3-2 shootout victory March 10. Bobrovsky has gone 6-1-1 in his last eight games, improving his record to 8-6-3 with a 2.27 goals-against average and .919 save percentage in 17 appearances this season. In 100 career NHL games, the 24-year-old has posted a 50-29-13 record with a 2.65 goals-against average and .911 save percentage.

SECOND STAR – SIDNEY CROSBY, C, PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Crosby led all skaters with nine assists and 11 points in four games, increasing his lead in the Art Ross race to eight points (12-33—45 in 26 GP). He posted one goal and one assist in a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning March 4, three assists in a 5-4 victory at the Philadelphia Flyers March 7 and one goal, plus the shootout clincher, in a 5-4 triumph over the Toronto Maple Leafs March 9. Crosby closed the week by tying a career high with five assists in a 6-1 win over the New York Islanders March 10 – he is the only active NHL player with more than one five-assist game in his career (his other came 12/13/06 vs. Philadelphia). Crosby currently has 5-15—20 during an eight-game point streak that dates to Feb. 24. In 460 career NHL games, all with Pittsburgh, the 25-year-old has 235-419—654.

THIRD STAR – JEFF CARTER, C, LOS ANGELES KINGS

Carter scored six goals in four outings to raise his season total to 17, tied for second in the NHL. He recorded his fifth career hat trick, including the game-winning goal, in a 5-1 victory over the Nashville Predators March 4 and potted another game-winner in a 6-4 triumph over the St. Louis Blues March 5. Carter finished the week with one goal against both the Dallas Stars March 7 and Calgary Flames March 9. He has scored 13 goals in his last 13 games and leads the League with six game-winners this season. In 539 career NHL games, the London, Ont., native has 219-177—396 and 46 game-winning goals.

PHOENIX — David Wright loves the World Baseball Classic, and on Saturday night, he proved once again that the tournament he has called “the most difficult in the world” loves him back.

Wright, the New York Mets star who played for the United States in the 2009 version of the event and is back at third base for the club this year, needed only one swing of the bat to change the fortunes of Team USA in the first round of Pool D play at Chase Field against Italy and possibly for the rest of the competition.

Pool A Pool B Pool C Pool D

Tickets | Bracket | Scoreboard

The Americans didn’t look good on Friday night, dropping their 2013 Classic opener to Mexico by the score of 5-2 and falling in a hole at 0-1, but on Saturday, Wright gave them the spark — and, most important, the big hit — they needed.

With the game tied at 2 against Italy, which had already qualified to move on to next week’s second round in Miami, Wright strode to the plate with the bases loaded in the fifth inning against Italy pitcher Matt Torra and golfed a ball into the seats beyond the left-center-field wall.

The Americans were up, 6-2, which marked their first lead in the first two games of the Classic, and they went on to win by the same score. Wright made a little history, too, tallying the first grand slam for the United States in Classic play since Jason Varitek did it against Canada on March 8, 2006.

Now, the Americans play Canada on Sunday, and the winner will advance, while the loser is eliminated.

It’s just how Wright wants it.

“I think that it’s well-documented — I really enjoy this tournament,” Wright said. “I think it’s a great tournament. I think it’s only going to get bigger and better.

“When you put that USA jersey on, have you a bull’s eye on your back, teams want to beat us. So it makes it a great atmosphere every time out. And I think all of us take a lot of pride in putting this uniform on, and we want to represent the country well. So any time we play a clean, crisp game like we played today, it’s good for USA Baseball, and obviously it’s good for our fans and good for the country. So I’m glad I could be a part of that.”

Wright preferred to deflect praise for the victory, opting to cite the fact that starter Ryan Vogelsong’s scoreless third and fourth innings and the fact that Team USA got the scoring going leading up to his pivotal at-bat brought the dugout to life.

But the actions of American manager Joe Torre and bench coach Larry Bowa told a different story. Wright’s homer meant a lot for a team that was getting runners on base and not cashing them in. Wright cashed in all four, and it came at the perfect time.

“Bowa was just begging for a soft single,” Torre said. “I was … I didn’t say it, but I was hoping for more. But that was huge. You talk about just sort of being able to exhale. That was basically what that was, because we had been teasing ourselves for the last couple of days and all of a sudden we got one to bust it open.

“These guys, when we were in the clubhouse last night, it was dead silence last night. And this is a pretty determined group. They have only been with us for a short period of time, five days or so, but when you look in their eyes, they’re pretty special.”

And for Wright, playing for this team is special. So special that he did it in 2009, is doing it again this year, and talks like he’d like to do it in 2017 and beyond.

“It’s emotional,” Wright said. “You hear the ‘USA’ chants, you look up in the stands and you see the flags, you look in the dugout and you see ‘USA’ across the front of guys’ chests and across the hats, and you get caught up in the game and you get a little emotional.

“And then I’ve experienced what it’s like in the last WBC making it to the semifinals and how much fun that is, and it only gets better from here. And I want to experience that and more this time around.”

SPOKANE, Wash. – Alessio Bertaggia scored three times and set up one more as the Spokane Chiefs doubled up the visiting Everett Silvertips 6-3 on Friday in Western Hockey League action.

Connor Chartier had a goal and an assist for the Chiefs (40-25-2), who trailed 2-0 early in the first period, while Brenden Kichton, Mike Aviani and Dylan Walchuk each had two assists.

Riley Whittingham and Blake Gal had a goal apiece to round out Spokane’s offence.

Joshua Winquist scored twice for the Silvertips (23-39-6), who have dropped three straight games, and Brayden Low had the other.

Garret Hughson made 22 saves for the win as Austin Lotz stopped 38-of-43 shots in a losing cause.

Spokane went 2 for 6 on the power play while Everett scored once on four chances with the man advantage.

Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry Fraser wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca!

Hi Kerry,
 
I have a question regarding a player shooting the puck out over the boards when he’s within his own blueline.
 
During the Chicago-Detroit game on Sunday, the puck went out with under two minutes to go and a penalty was issued to the Red Wings. However, the puck landed in the penalty box and Pierre McGuire made a comment that made it sound like if the puck had entered the penalty box without going over the crowd it should not be a penalty.
 
Does the rule not state that if a defensive player shoots the puck out of play from his own zone it is a penalty regardless of where the puck exits the play (ie. it could be shot over the boards at the other end of the rink and still be called delay of game)?
 
Need some clarification here!
 
Cheers,
B. Cook

Red Wing defencemen Jonathan Ericsson and Niklas Kronwall had difficulty keeping the puck in play in the dying minutes of their game against Chicago on Sunday. Patrick Kane capitalized on the Ericsson miscue to tie the game and extend the Hawks amazing streak.

My good friend Pierre McGuire is usually bang-on with all his game analysis but in this case they changed the standard of enforcement on this play some time ago. Subsequently, a minor penalty would have applied regardless of the flight path of the puck if it landed in the penalty box/scorekeepers area.

In fairness to Pierre, when the rule was first instituted a puck shot into the penalty bench/scorekeepers area was treated the same as the players’ bench and did not incur a penalty. This application resulted from an inconsistency in the height of the protective glass at the penalty box in various NHL arenas. Philadelphia was the last building where an exemption was granted due to shortened glass. 
 
Since the protective glass is now uniform in all NHL buildings the rule is applied as written:

“When a player, while in his defending zone, shoots or bats (using hand or his stick) the puck directly (non-deflected) out of the playing surface, except where there is no glass, a penalty shall be assessed for delaying the game. When the puck is shot into the players’ bench, the penalty will not apply. When the puck is shot over the glass ‘behind’ the players’ bench, the penalty will be assessed. When the puck goes out of the playing area directly off a face-off, no penalty shall be assessed.”

‘Cookie,’ you are correct that a penalty would apply to a defending player who shot the puck from his defending zone directly over the glass anywhere in the rink with the exception of into the players’ bench. This includes a puck shot over the glass (into the netting) at the opposite end of the ice!

Like the rule or hate it, players go straight to the penalty box when they shoot the puck over the glass and accept the responsibility for putting their team in the hole.  This rule is the most consistently applied one in the entire book by the referees. The only judgment the officials have to utilize on this call is whether the puck was deflected prior to exiting the playing surface. We have seen this penalty assessed at key times during Stanley Cup playoffs and the call has often been a game changer. The “puck over glass” infraction usually tops the list on James Duthie’s tote board.

As my friend Pierre McGuire might now say, it was a “monster” goal that Patrick Kane scored in the Motor City on Sunday to keep the Hawks steak alive after Jonathan Ericsson shot the puck directly into the penalty bench regardless of its flight path.