The National Hockey League (NHL) announced today that Blues Captain Alex Pietrangelo (puh-TRAN-geh-loh) has been named First Star for the week ending Mar. 18. Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon and Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Curtis McElhinney were named second and third star, respectively.
Pietrangelo posted nine points for the week, helping the Blues win three of four games and pull within one point of the second Wild Card spot. The 6’3, 210-pound defenseman began the week with two assists in a 4-2 win over the Ducks, then he logged three points (two goals, one assist) in a 4-3 overtime win over the Rangers before finishing the week with a single-game career-high four points (one goal, three assists) in a 5-4 overtime win against the Blackhawks. The King City, Ontario, native led all NHL players in points last week and became the 10th defenseman to record a four-point game this season.
Currently in his second year as team captain, Pietrangelo has set new single-season career highs in both goals (15) and game-winning goals (5) while he sits just one point shy of tying a career mark in points (51 in 2011-12 and 2013-14). He is also one of only five defensemen to record at least 50 points while averaging over two minutes of shorthanded ice time and three minutes of power play ice time per game this season (Drew Doughty, Victor Hedman, P.K. Subban, John Carlson).
Among defensemen in Blues history, the 28-year-old ranks third in points (353) and goals (80), second in assists (273) and game-winning goals (20) and fifth in games played (607).
