NHL Three Stars: Jeff Carter leads Kings rout over Avs

No. 1 Star: Jeff Carter, Los Angeles Kings

The Kings toyed with the Avalanche in their 5-0 rout, but it was Carter who sparked the blowout with two first-period goals. He now has 26 on the season, including this one that showed off his hand-eye coordination.

No. 2 Star: Sean Monahan, Calgary Flames

Monahan scored twice in the Flames’ 5-1 win over the Minnesota Wild, giving him 17 goals on the season. The Calgary Flames ended the Minnesota Wild’s record 14-game road point streak.

No. 3 Star: Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins

In a losing effort, Marchand scored two power-play goals and added an assist. He now has 23 goals on the season.

Honorable Mention: Dustin Brown had a goal and an assist. … Brian Elliott made 28 saves. … Nicklas Backstrom had a goal and two assists in the Washington Capitals’ 5-3 win over the Boston Bruins. … Alex Ovechkin scored his 25th of the season, on the power play. … Peter Budaj made 22 saves for his sixth shutout, tying him with Braden Holtby for the NHL lead.

Did You Know? Marchand is the first Bruins player with three multi-goal games in a span of four games since Cam Neely from Jan. 8-15, 1992.

Dishonorable Mention: John Mitchell earned an instigator and a misconduct for his fight against Brayden McNabb. … The Capitals penalty kill continued to struggle, giving up two goals on three Bruins’ power plays. … Kevan Miller was a minus-3. … The Avalanche have lost nine games in a row (0-8-1).