Was it just a week ago that we thought Jamie Benn might never score a goal again?
That was a little bit of hyperbole, but the Dallas Stars captain was in a deep goal-scoring slump as the team returned home for an all-important five-homestand. And home cooking turned out to be exactly what Benn needed to get his points back on track, as he has posted three goals and three assist over the Stars first three games of the homestand.
Those totals were enough to lead the NHL last week and earn him the league’s third star of the week honors, the league announced Monday morning. He finished behind Tomas Tatar of the Red Wings, who had four goals and one assist, and Jannik Hansen of the Canucks, who scored five goals.
Benn also helped partner in crime Tyler Seguin to four points (three goals, one assist) and new linemate Cody Eakin to five points (two goals, three assists) over that stretch of three games. Seguin is currently leading the NHL in goals with 15 and is tied for second in the league in points behind the Flyers Jakub Voracek. And even with his goal-scoring drought, Benn is still tied for 22nd in the NHL in scoring.
In all, it was a good week to be a part of the Stars first line. The official release is below:
NEW YORK – Vancouver Canucks right wing Jannik Hansen, Detroit Red Wings left wing Tomas Tatar and Dallas Stars left wing Jamie Benn have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending Nov. 23.
FIRST STAR – JANNIK HANSEN, RW, VANCOUVER CANUCKS
Hansen led the NHL with five goals, converting on 71.4% of his shots (5-of-7) to power the Canucks (14-6-1, 29 points) to five of a possible six standings points. He recorded his fourth career shorthanded goal in a 5-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers Nov. 19. Hansen then scored the game-tying goal for the Canucks in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks Nov. 20. He capped the week by posting his first career hat trick, including the game-winning goal, in a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks Nov. 23. The 28-year-old Herlev, Denmark, native has found the back of the net in three consecutive games for the third time in his career and first time since March 2-5, 2013 (3-2-5). His eight goals in 21 games rank second on the Canucks and are eight shy of his single-season high set in 2011-12 (82 GP).
SECOND STAR – TOMAS TATAR, LW, DETROIT RED WINGS
Tatar tied for second in the League with 4-1-5, including two game-winning goals, to lead the Red Wings (10-5-5, 25 points) to two victories in three starts. He opened the week with a pair of game-winning goals and multi-point performances: 1-1—2 in 5-0 triumph over the Columbus Blue Jackets Nov. 18 and 2-0-2 in a 4-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets Nov. 20. Tatar then added his ninth goal of the season in a 4-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs Nov. 22, stretching his point streak to a career-long five games (5-2-7). The 23-year-old Ilava, Slovakia, native has found the back of the net in three consecutive games for the second time in his NHL career (also Jan. 4-11, 2014: 3-1-4). He is tied for the team lead in goals this season and also is tied for fourth with 12 points (20 GP).
THIRD STAR – JAMIE BENN, LW, DALLAS STARS
Benn led the NHL with 3-3-6, including a pair of multi-point games, to propel the Stars (8-9-4, 20 points) to two wins in three outings. He posted 1-1-2 in a 6-4 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes Nov. 18 and then collected the secondary assist on Cody Eakin’s game-winning goal in a 3-1 comeback victory over the Arizona Coyotes Nov. 20. Benn capped the week with 2-1-3, his first multi-goal game and second three-point performance of the season (also Oct. 14 at CBJ: 1-3-4), in a 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Kings Nov. 22. The 25-year-old Victoria, B.C., native ranks second on the Stars in goals (8), assists (11-tied) and points (19) this season (21 GP). He also has 42-56-98 in his last 102 appearances dating to the start of the 2013-14 campaign.