No. 1 Star: Jarome Iginla(notes), Calgary Flames

The Flames got some breaks against the Dallas Stars, and Iginla made the most of them. His first goal of the game came on a 3-on-1. His second goal, the OT game-winner, came after a borderline delay-of-game penalty on Loui Eriksson(notes), in which he cleared the puck over the glass while outside of the defensive zone. Iginla's blast on the power play beat Marty Turco(notes) (20 saves) for the overtime win, 3-2. He also had the primary assist on Daymond Langkow's(notes) game-tying goal at 19:11 of the third.

No. 2 star: Tomas Vokoun(notes), Florida Panthers

Vokoun weathered a 21-shot salute in the first period by a desperate Carolina Hurricanes team on the road, and ended up making 32 saves in shutting out the Canes, 3-0. Steven Reinprecht's(notes) ninth of the season was the game-winner.

No. 3 star: Ryan Miller(notes), Buffalo Sabres

Four days ago, the New York Islanders shut out the Sabres. Ryan Miller returned the favor with a confident 24-save performance, as Buffalo snapped the Islanders' 4-game winning streak with a 3-0 victory. Derek Roy's(notes) first goal of the season was the game-winner; Thomas Vanek(notes) and Paul Gaustad(notes) had the other tallies.

Honorable mention: Special stick tap for Curtis McElhinney(notes), as the little-used Flames backup was outstanding in goal (38 saves) in Calgary's win -- including stopping a Brenden Morrow(notes) penalty shot. ... Nicklas Bergfors(notes) scored a pair of power-play goals in the third period, at the New Jersey Devils defeated the Ovechkin-less Washington Capitals, 3-2. ... Milan Hejduk(notes) had a three-point night, including goals to open and close the scoring, in the Colorado Avalanche's 4-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes. Peter Budaj(notes) made 28 saves in his first start of the season. Colorado is undefeated (5-0) at home. ...Don't look now, but the San Jose Sharks have won eight of nine after Dan Boyle's(notes) shootout goal gave them a 3-2 SO win at the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joe Thornton(notes) and Dany Heatley(notes) had goals in regulation. Rick Nash(notes) scored his 10th for Columbus. ... Marty Biron stopped 36 of 39 shots in a losing effort for the Isles, and earned a roughing minor for going after Patrick Kaleta(notes). ... Steve Mason(notes) stopped 36 of 38 for the Jackets.

Did you know?: Carolina has seven points through 14 games, matching the worst start in franchise history, set in 1992-93 and 1993-94. (AP)

Dishonorable mention: Missing their star player, the Capitals' taking four penalties in the third period on the road had Coach Bruce Boudreau rightfully steamed after the game. ... Carolina was 0-for-5 on the power play. ... Rob Blake(notes) was injured in the second for the Sharks and didn't return. ... Finally, a record low crowd of 11,012 in Denver watched the Avs pull into a tie with Pittsburgh for the NHL point lead (24).

Here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished.

Preview: Phoenix Coyotes at Colorado Avalanche, 9 p.m. EST. In September, claiming that this matchup would be the game of the night on Nov. 4 may have been grounds for institutionalization. Yet here we are, with the Yotes fifth in the West at 18 points and the Avalanche still first in the conference with 22. Colorado is 4-0-0 at home. Peter Budaj(notes) gets the start after the battle with swine flu. Watch The Game Live Via Hockey Night on Y!

Preview: Washington Capitals at New Jersey Devils, 7 p.m. EST. The Capitals play their first game since Alex Ovechkin's(notes) "week-to-week" injury, facing a Devils team that would probably much rather be playing in Washington tonight because they're undefeated on the road and because everyone in North Jersey will be watching the Yankees anyway. Watch The Game Live Via Hockey Night on Y!

Preview: Calgary Flames at Dallas Stars, 8:30 p.m. EST. Dallas has activated center Mike Modano(notes) and right wing Jere Lehtinen(notes) from injured reserve. Meanwhile, an Alberta Health Services staff member has been canned for giving the Flames preferential treatment for H1N1 vaccinations. "The decision to allow preferential access to the Flames and their families was a serious error in judgment on the part of the staff involved," said Stephen Duckett, president and CEO of the AHS board. No kidding?

Check out the Y! Sports scores and schedule page for previews of the other three games tonight.

Evening Reading

• The twisted mind of Rudy Kelly presents scenes from the Los Angles Kings' father/son dinner. Had no idea Raitis Ivanans's(notes) father is actually a bear, but it makes sense.[Battle of California]

• "Internet reports" have the Chicago Blackhawks interested in Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle(notes). The gist of the story is on-point: Marian Hossa(notes) is inching back, and the cap issues are on the front burner. [Kuc, via Second City Hockey]

• Good news for the Hawks: Jonathan "Lloyd Christmas" Toews is practicing again. [ESPN Chicago]

• Round 545,192 in the "Is Chris Osgood(notes) overrated or underrated?" debate. [Snapshots]

• How much are the Olympics playing on the mind of Vincent Lecavalier(notes) during his horrendous start? [LeBrun]

• Eric Duhatschek takes a look inside the Dany Heatley(notes) bonus grievance filed by the Ottawa Senators, and how the timing of it is interesting with regard to the NHLPA. [Globe & Mail]

• New York Rangers forward Dane Byers(notes) was handed a one-game suspension by the NHL on Wednesday while Coach John Tortorella was fined $10,000 for that weird non-brawl against the Vancouver Canucks last night. [CP]

• Meanwhile, Vancouver's Shane O'Brien(notes) will have a disciplinary hearing for using his stick to make contact with Ranger Sean Avery(notes). [TSN]

• Shawn Horcoff(notes) is out about a week. [Sportsnet]

• The Boston Bruins have been shut out two games in a row. "According to Bob Waterman at the Elias Sports Bureau, the Bruins only once have been blanked in three straight games, which happened in 1929 (the same year the Bruins won their first Cup)." Wait, so should Bruins fans be rooting for or against a shutout against the Habs on Thursday? [Bruins Blog]

Puck Buddy Comment of the Day: From Mr. Corey Atkinson on Twitter, regarding Team Canada's goalie for the Olympics:

"Honestly, I would think even Joey MacDonald(notes) could beat Cam Ward(notes) right now."

Bold Prediction: You want bold? We'll give you bold: Brodeur ties the shutout record tonight.

The Leafs section of Fan Dome posted this line brawl video between the International Hockey League's Muskegon Lumberjacks and Fort Wayne Komets from Oct. 31, and it's pretty much the expected chaos until the 55-second mark. That's when a linesman makes the mistake of trying to get between Komets forward Brad MacMillan and the target of his fists.

From the News-Sentinel, it appears the IHL frowns upon their officials getting tossed like rag dolls by goons (in which case Colton Orr(notes) is lucky to be a marginal NHL player):

International Hockey League Vice President of Hockey Operations Brad Jones suspended MacMillan 15 games on Monday for his part in Saturday's altercation against Muskegon. MacMillan left the penalty box and pushed a linesman out of the way to fight Lumberjacks' Jason Lawmaster.

Muskegon's Robin Big Snake was suspended for 12 games and MacMillan, Big Snake and Lawmaster all received undisclosed fines. During their suspensions, the players continue to count against a team's salary cap and 20-man active roster. They continue to receive their salaries.

"It's not a surprise," MacMillan said. "I knew I was getting suspended, but I'm a little disappointed by the fact that Lawmaster gets no suspension out of this. I wouldn't have changed anything I did besides not touching the official."

As mentioned, the Komets are upset that Lumberjacks player Lawmaster wasn't suspended for his actions in the fight. During that brawl, the Komets' Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock also fought Muskegon's John DiPace as well.

Robin Big Snake. Jason Lawmaster. Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock. Sorry, but when did the IHL become the character list from a cheesy 1980s sci-fi fantasy film?

Stick tap Digg.

Ice time at your local rink can be hard to find. Sometimes, due to programming, your chance to hop on a fresh sheet with your buddies is only available in the wee hours of the morning or very, very late at night.

Everyone plunks down his or her money to cover the cost for an hour's rental; and before you know it, an hour has passed and you're getting kicked off by the cranky rink attendant.

If you're in the mood to get away from the Zamboni fumes and stale coffee, and will be in the Boston area this December, then maybe renting out the Winter Classic rink at Fenway Park will be a nice change of pace, no? 

That is, of course, if you're willing to sell a kidney or two.

As the Boston Globe's Kevin Paul Dupont found out:

"That one-hour ice rental at a local rink in and around Boston typically would cost upward of $300. At Fenway, the going rate will be $7,500 or $10,000 for each one-hour session. That is not a typo. The going rate will be as high as 33 times more than what a prime-time hour would cost at one of the area's better rinks. And according to Sam Kennedy, executive vice president and COO of the Red Sox as well as president of Fenway Sports Group, there has been no shortage of folks lining up to reserve the time."

Kennedy goes on to say the exorbitant rental fees do not equal the Red Sox making a killing on selling ice time, as Dupont reports that the NHL will charge Fenway Park $16,000 a day when the rink will be used for "entertaining and marketing purposes."

One of those "entertaining" purposes will be for open skates to the public, likely the only chance Joe Hockey Fan will get to skate on the same ice that the Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins will play on come Jan. 1, as well as the Hockey East doubleheader a week later.

The rental fees are striking a nerve with local hockey programs and beer-leaguers who would be interested in shelling out a bit more for a chance to skate at Fenway, but after doing the math realized that "a bit more" is just too costly.

Kennedy, in an attempt to relate to Joe Hockey Fan, sympathized with those who can't afford the rental fees, but stated the clear goal of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity:

"I can tell you that the interest [in one-hour rentals] has been overwhelming,'' said Kennedy. "The price has not been a deterrent whatsoever. Hey, I still play beer-league hockey, so I hear you loud and clear over how some people might compare these prices. But this is geared, really, to our corporate base."

Thousands of beer leaguers just channeled their inner Billy Walsh and shouted, "Suits suck!"

There's no question that the hit from behind on 16-year-old Kitchener Rangers defenseman Ben Fanelli by Erie Otters forward Michael Liambas was irresponsible and dangerous. A fractured skull, facial fractures and the news shared in the CBC clip above from Saturday that he was "breathing on his own" indicate the level of devastation on the play.

The 20-year-old Liambas was assessed a match penalty for his hit, and the gruesome scene (video) and subsequent injuries naturally pointed to supplemental discipline from the OHL.

But suspended for the rest of the season? On a play that observers like Elliotte Friedman see as a symptom of the current game's rules and speed than anything malicious?

This ruling is going to light powder kegs on both sides of the debate regarding supplemental discipline for injurious body checks. Coming up, the OHL's justification and a passionate defense of Liambas's play as a clean hit.

From the OHL:

The Ontario Hockey League today announced the results of its review of an incident which occurred in the game played in Kitchener on Friday, October 30th, 2009 between the Kitchener Rangers and the visiting Erie Otters.

The incident in question involved player Michael Liambas of the Erie Otters who was assessed a match penalty for boarding as the result of his hit on Kitchener Rangers player Ben Fanelli who sustained an injury to the head on the play.

In making the announcement as the result of the review, Commissioner David Branch stated that..."players must understand they shall be held accountable for their actions. We must all work towards improving the level of respect players have towards opposing players and the game in general."

"It is the position of the Ontario Hockey League that player Michael Liambas of the Erie Otters Hockey Club be suspended for the balance of the 2009-10 playing season including playoffs."

Take another few looks at the hit in question:

Victor Fernandes, a writer for GoErie.com, predicted a minimum of 20 games for Laimbas yesterday; but, at the same time, defending his actions:

The hit was clean.

Liambas didn't appear to strike Fanelli on the head. Instead, Liambas appeared to hit Fanelli around the shoulder and neck area. Liambas also didn't leave his feet or raise his elbow to make the hit.

It was a hard hit. Liambas, one of the league's most feared players, doesn't know how to hit any other way. He earned a roster spot with the Otters three years ago through his physical, aggressive play. Through that same style, he has remained in a league that, like the NHL, has showcased greater skill, more scoring and less need for enforcers since implementing offensively oriented rules a few years ago.

Of course, checking in this league -- and in this sport -- has grown into more than simply separating a player from the puck, a thought Steve Bienkowski, the Rangers' chief operating officer, said Monday -- the same day he saw footage of the hit for the first time.

The focus shouldn't be on "seeing how hard we can hit people," Bienkowski said. But he added, "(I) can't read what's in a player's mind. I'm not going to put words in (Liambas') mouth."

Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News had a suburb alternative take on the matter the other day:

A lot has to go wrong for something so violent to happen and anytime it does, the call comes out from across the landscape for rule changes and inward reflection. But what could be done?

The play by Liambas was illegal. He revved up from about the blueline and hunted Fanelli down. That's charging. It's a penalty and not a difficult one to detect. In my opinion, the issue is closed right there.

Both writers make their points, and make them well. We agree with Kennedy that it's a dirty hit, even if some split-second movements by Fanelli put him in a prone position. Liambas charged him and Fanelli's back was to the Otters player when the hit was made. There was a real danger that a boarding major would occur based on that approach, and it did.

That said: A season-long suspension, even for a player with some history of these things (ask John Tavares(notes) of the New York Islanders about this hit) is overkill. It's penalizing the aftermath instead of the play itself, and that's exactly what's wrong with supplemental discipline at all levels of hockey.

The suspension is for what was witnessed on the ice after the hit on Oct. 30, and what's currently written on a hospital bed chart as a 16-year-old kid is in stable but critical condition.

It's not for the actual play, which is reckless as hell but not a clear attempt to injure by Liambas. Go watch the Tavares hit if you want to see that.

Take away the injuries and the aesthetics, and is that hit worth a Bertuzzi-like mega-suspension for Liambas? Is it worth the end of Liambas's junior hockey career?

No, it isn't.

Roll call! Wyshynski? Check. Lyle "Spector" Richardson of Fox Sports? Check. Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period? Dave? Mr. Pagnotta? Bueller?

Alas, Dave is traveling in support of his spiffy magazine, but the good news is that it opens up a spot on the panel for a true blogging visionary: Please welcome Toronto Maple Leafs satirist Down Goes Brown to our weekly rumors, scuttlebutt and innuendo chat at 1 p.m. EST.

Topics include Peter Forsberg(notes), the Carolina Hurricanes' struggles and the latest hockey whispers. Bring your questions, bring your speculation and, above all, bring the funny. We'll supply the cynical answers and abrupt shifts in tone.

Here are your Puck Headlines: A glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

• Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL is going after former Colorado Avalanche star Peter Forsberg(notes), and Jeff Klein of the New York Times indicates that Foppa may be charmed by the riches the Russian league can offer him beyond those in a capped NHL. In either case, we just hope to see Forsberg in one more Olympic run for the Swedes, before they lose to the U.S. [Slap Shot and Denver Post]

• Forbes warns the NHLPA not to allow a group of agents to set the agenda for the membership: "By pushing their individual agendas the agents are undermining the majority of players. The players better fix this quickly or the next CBA will be a debacle." [Forbes]

• The Calgary Flames claim did nothing wrong in securing H1N1 vaccinations, which are in short supply in Alberta. Team president Ken King has said the hockey players are "at an elevated infection risk due to their physical contact." We're sure immune deficient children, pregnant women and the elderly are cool with that. [Sun Media]

• Tapeleg on the Flames' line-jumping for the shots: "The Calgary Flames deserved to be at the front of the Swine Flu inoculation line. If the Flames are sick, the entire economy of Calgary would crumble. After the CFL, what do they have? Is there any other excuse for the Red Mile? Bars would close left and right. People would have to read... books. Shudder." [Jerseys And Hockey Love]

• Carolina Hurricanes star Eric Staal(notes): He was Iron Man. [Canes Country]

• Down Goes Brown, who will be joining us for our Rumors Chat at 1 p.m., on Phil Kessel's(notes) debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs: "The Leafs' game plan for Kessel is apparently to play every second shift, generally ignore his linemates, and shoot at every opportunity from every angle. And here's the thing: I don't think that's a bad plan." [DGB]

• Pierre LeBrun was also impressed with Kessel, who brings an offensive dimension to "a Leafs lineup essentially devoid of top-six, high-end offensive talent." But he also calls Kessel a "star" on multiple occasions. Is Phil Kessel really a star in the NHL? [ESPN]

• Former Detroit Red Wings brawler Darren McCarty(notes) said he's one of those people who can walk away from the game and be content with it, but hasn't officially retired yet. [Snapshots]

• Coach Scott Gordon of the surprising New York Islanders responds to criticism of his team's physical play with the old 'size doesn't matter' spiel: "I think there isn't enough credit given to our players. It's not a question of being bigger. I think we have guys who are more willing to finish hits." [NY Post]

• Chatting with Pittsburgh Penguins power forward prospect Eric Tangradi(notes). [Pens Universe]

• Great look at the Chicago Blackhawks' "cap crisis," in an effort to separate fact from fiction. [Kukla]

• Puck Buddy Dave D. from Vancouver sends over this cruel, unusual and ultimately hilarious Leafs fan gift from River City Sports. "The fact that the players appear somewhat contemporary is a fail. I'd be more forgiving if the players looked as though they were from the fifties or sixties. One thing I do find funny is that it is severely discounted, meaning no one is buying it. Just like in real life."

• Buffalo Sabres have called up goaltender Jhonas Enroth(notes) from Portland after backup keeper Patrick Lalime(notes) hurt his groin. [Sabres]

• Sleepers and studs for the U.S. Olympic hockey team. Has James van Riemsdyk(notes) of the Philadelphia Flyers played himself into the conversation? [The Hockey Writers]

• The dates are set for the unveiling of Olympic hockey rosters. [LA Times]

• Also from THW, a chat with Columbus Blue Jackets pest Derek Dorsett(notes): "Whether it was mini-mites or novice or whatever it was, I was always gritty. It comes from my background; where I grew up, how I grew up and the family I came from." [THW]

• Kevin Allen of USA Today: "Although nothing imminent, I'm aware of a NHL team mulling whether to sign Chris Chelios(notes). He's +7, 4-1-5 in 5 AHL games, playing big minutes." [Kausatoday]

• Calgary puts Jarome Iginla(notes) and Olli Jokinen(notes) back together after that chemistry experiment already failed. In their defense, we keep pouring vinegar into our baking soda volcano to no avail, too. [Sun Media]

• If the Phoenix Coyotes are going to see their woeful attendance turn around, they'll need a committed owner and continued success on the ice. Of course, live pole dancers would probably help, too. But we imagine the NHL's not going for that. [Arizona Republic]

• No Patrik Elias(notes) against the Washington Capitals for the New Jersey Devils. [NHL]

• Finally, Sidney Crosby(notes) of the Pittsburgh Penguins discusses the best save of last night made by a non-goalie:

When we tweeted last night about local coverage of the Chicago Blackhawks Halloween Party, we did so begrudgingly: The notion that Adam Burish(notes) as Dennis Rodman and Patrick Kane(notes) as Scottie Pippen were racially insensitive in wearing "blackface" for their Chicago Bulls costumes is a joke.

It's something that didn't even cross our minds when we first blogged about the Blackhawks' costumes on Monday because this wasn't an instance of offensive caricature or simmering bigotry. But upon reflection, the image was obviously a sports media pinata for a columnist to either feign outrage or sound the politically correct siren; Ernest Wilkins of the Chicago Tribune's Red Eye did one of the two earlier this week, focusing on Kane:

It's not a good look, You've got a lot of people and kids looking up to you, and I refuse to believe that a #1 overall pick in one of the "Big 4" leagues with the media relations department of that caliber at your disposal is silly enough to believe that no one would have a problem with you doing some "extreme tanning".

It's interesting being a Black (feel free to sub in Latino/Woman/actual Penguin at your will) hockey fan sometimes. We don't see a lot of players that look like us, and we want more people out there to look up to out there on the ice. Stuff like this doesn't help.

Forgetting, for a moment, that turning this into an issue is completely asinine, we don't necessarily want to discount Wilkins's feelings as a black hockey fan. After all, we just blogged about the alienation of gay fans who come to the arena and suffer silently through homophobic slurs. We can't conceive how one is as intolerable as the other -- especially when the former happened at a private function rather than the rink -- but Wilkins wrote what he wrote, and we'll respect it.

That said: Are we seriously headed to apology-ville for this benign stuff?

Red Eye has decided to turn this manufactured controversy into a cottage industry of content. Along with Wilkins's piece, the Blackhawks photo has been blogged about in at least three other places on the publication's Web site.

There was Mike Kiley on Blackhawks Confidential:

No matter that Kane was simply acting out by his costume that he looked up to Pippen as a boy. No matter that neither Burish nor Kane intended any malice. They will be seen as poster boys for bad behavior depending on your point of view, and these are varied when it comes to race.

Everything would have been fine except for Kane and Burish coloring their skin. The history of blackface in entertainment is demeaning. You can google plenty of history on the subject and learn more, which is something I wouldn't be surprised never crossed the minds of two pro athletes just trying for fun by dressing in a sports motif for Halloween.

So do we condemn them simply for the blackface? I don't. But I'm not African-American and I haven't seen that practice through an African-American's eyes. So I don't presume to judge what they see.

There was George Ofman, adding the Blackhawks to Michael Phelps's bong as Orwellian moments in sports journalism:

If you happen to be a Blackhawks hockey player at a Halloween party, better make sure your costume doesn't offend anyone. Remember, Big brother is watching. And so is the rest of the world. And then everyone has a comment, like me only this is not about race.

It's about Big brother.

There was Kara Kyles, too, adding a note about the Hawks to a piece that covered a recent blackface controversy on "America's Next Top Model." She supplied "a handy dandy guide that might help avoid future trading-races drama"; note that the Blackhawks followed two of her three rules.

Today, Julia Keller of the Chicago Tribune piled on, tying the Hawks to gay slurs and Bob Griese saying Juan Pablo Montoya was "out having a taco." Seriously:

The controversies are also a sign of society's robust health. We debate these words and behaviors -- are they heinous and unforgivable or just dumb and obtuse? -- because we don't really know just how to feel about them. And sports is both mirror and lamp. The mirror shows us where we are; the lamp leads us up and out.

Were many people really, deep down, offended by the Blackhawks' blackface, Griese's silly slip, Gooden's alleged insult or Johnson's reported slur? Doubt it. But we still have to argue about it. These incidents give us a chance to talk about things that are sometimes hard to talk about: race, ethnicity, sexuality.

Actually, it's easy to talk about in this case: Burish and Kane have nothing to be sorry about, nothing to regret and nothing to be ashamed of. If the Blackhawks issue an apology under the weight of media scrutiny for something that didn't occur anywhere near the rink, it would, in our estimation, be more detrimental to the conversation about race in this country than anything Burish or Kane did to their faces.

And if we're really going to get morally outraged over race, shouldn't the PC police Commit To The Indian first?

Terrifically odd scene last night in the third period of the Vancouver Canucks' 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers: Marian Gaborik(notes) gives Ryan Kesler(notes) the weakest slash to the leg in recent memory, sparking a fight-less melee during a line change that actually had 10 players on the ice for New York.

Once that situation was defused -- and it did look like it was going to boil over a few times into an old school 1970s sprawling slugfest -- the action moved to the benches, where Canucks defenseman Shane O'Brien(notes) decided to nudge Sean Avery(notes) with his lumber. From CBC Sports:

Because of the line changes, there were 10 Rangers against seven Canucks on the ice, and it resulted in five 10-minute misconducts, including one to Shane O'Brien for poking New York agitator Sean Avery with his stick from the benches, and a minor penalty to Kesler. "I could comment in a multitude of ways but I've already talked to [general manager Mike Gillis] about it and he told me he was going to deal with it," Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault said.

Clearly, the scars of 1994 have yet to heal. Not mentioned by the CBC: Avery snatched the harpoon from O'Brien and tossed it onto the ice while his mouth continued to move at the speed of sound.

The misconducts at 4:21 of the third were given to the Rangers' Dane Byers(notes) and Dan Girardi, and the Canucks' Kevin Bieksa(notes), Alex Burrows(notes), Kesler and O'Brien. Here's the video from TSN of this strange, hypnotic non-brawl; the Avery/O'Brien fun is about 2:45 into it:

Meanwhile, on the fighting front, check out Darren Dreger of TSN this morning writing about the lack on instigator penalties this season: "Heading in to Tuesday's games, an instigator penalty had been called in 8 of 117 fights. That's one for every 14 fights or 6.8%. Although slightly higher than last season's 5.9% rate ..."

No. 1 star: Chris Osgood(notes), Detroit Red Wings

Osgood has been challenged by Red Wings coach Mike Babcock and Tuesday he delivered with his 50th career shutout in a 2-0 win over the Bruins. The embattled Detroit goalie did his best work in the first period when he stopped Marco Sturm(notes) on a point-blank chance, then corralled the rebound with his glove after receiving an assist from the post. In all Ozzie made 29 saves as he moved within six wins of 400 career victories. After all the finger pointing that followed his rough October (3.10 GAA, .889 save pct.), Osgood was in dire need of an effort like this.

No. 2 star: Kris Letang(notes), Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins aren't supposed to win in California and certainly the loss of Sergei Gonchar(notes) is expected to catch up with the reigning Stanley Cup champions, but neither obstacle was a factor in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Ducks. Pittsburgh blueliners combined for six points, led by Letang, who scored his first goal of the season and added an assist on Pascal Dupuis'(notes) game-winner as the Pens improved to an NHL-best 12-3-0. Letang led all Penguins skaters with 23:46 of ice time, sharing team-high honors in both shots (3) and blocked shots (3).

No. 3 star: Ryan Kesler(notes), Vancouver Canucks

Kesler racked up three assists in a wild 4-1 win over the Rangers and is currently the highest-scoring American-born player in the NHL with 16 points. Kesler could have been the goat. He somehow got the extra penalty in what was a 10-on-7 melee in the third period. The Rangers would score moments after that penalty expired, but Kesler, who has five points in two November games, would provide the primary assist on both the game-winning and insurance goals.

Honorable Mention: Pavel Datsyuk(notes) had the primary assist on both Detroit goals, including a pretty drop pass to Tomas Holmstrom(notes) for the icebreaker. Datsyuk has multi-point efforts in four of six games. … Phil Kessel(notes) was held off the scoresheet in his Maple Leafs debut, but he was plenty active in putting 10 shots on goal. … Ryan Malone's(notes) overtime goal was his fourth game-winner of the young season for the Lightning. … Tampa goalie Antero Niittymaki(notes) stopped 40 shots to up his save percentage to .940 on the season. … Thashers defenseman Mark Popovic(notes), a five-year veteran, scored his first NHL goal in his 51st game. … Pittsburgh tied an NHL record with its seventh straight road win to start the season. … Anaheim's Corey Perry(notes) scored his 100th and 101st career goals in the loss to the Pens.

Did You Know?: Pittsburgh's 4-3 victory in Anaheim was just its second win in California since January, 1999.

Dishonorable Mention: The Bruins have not scored in 133 minutes while being shut out in back-to-back games for the first time since 2007. … Toronto has surrendered the first goal in 12 of 13 games. … Montreal fans were not sure what to make of the announcement that Carey Price(notes) had been named the Molson Cup player of the month for October. … The Rangers haven't won in Vancouver in 12 years.