Detroit Red Wings goalie Thomas Greiss on Monday was named a member of the NHL’s “First Stars” for the week ending May 2.
Entering his likely final start of the season Friday at the Columbus Blue Jackets, Greiss has a shutout streak of 136 minutes 31 seconds. He went 1-0-1 and turned aside all 66 shots he faced last week.
Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid was named the league’s second star and New York Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov was the third star.
Here is is what the three stars accomplished last week:
First Star
Thomas Greiss, Red Wings Goalie
Greiss blocked all 33 shots by the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 27, recording his first shutout as a Red Wing.
Greiss’ next start resulted in another 33-save performance during a 1-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The standout efforts were the first time a Red Wings goalie recorded consecutive shutouts since Petr Mrazek did it Jan. 14-22, 2018.
It was the third time in his career Greiss has collected back-to-back shutouts. He also accomplished the feat twice as a member of the New York Islanders (Jan. 16-19, 2017, and Jan. 18-Feb. 1, 2019).
In 33 appearances this season, Greiss recovered from a poor start to post a 7-15-8 record with a 2.73 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage.
Second Star
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers Center
One of the NHL’s swiftest skaters and top playmakers, McDavid collected four goals among 10 points and a plus-6 rating in four outings last week.
McDavid, who collected a hat trick on April 26, helped the Oilers capture three of four matches and move into second place in the North Division.
Third Star
Semyon Varlamov, New York Islanders Goalie
Varlamov shut out the New York Rangers twice last week, turning aside all 53 shots he faced.
Backed by Varlamov, the Islanders clinched a spot in the playoffs for the third straight season.
Dating back to the previous week, Varlamov extended his shutout streak to 213:56, breaking the team record established by Glenn Resch (178:29) during the 1975-76 season.