NHL Three Stars: Kopitar leads Kings; Leafs hit attendance low

No. 1 Star: Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings 

The Kings needed a star effort, and got one from their star center: a goal and two assists to account for their 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils. Kopitar assisted on first-period goals by Andrej Sekera and Tyler Toffoli, and then scored No. 15 in the third.

No. 2 Star: Devan Dubnyk, Minnesota Wild

The Wild goalie did it again: 35 saves in their 2-1 win at the Toronto Maple Leafs, making a Charlie Coyle goal stand up until Thomas Vanek’s 19th in the third period.

No. 3 Star: Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks

Crawford made 43 saves, including 18 in the first two periods, as the Blackhawks defeated the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-1. Andrew Shaw had two goals.

Honorable Mention: The Ottawa Senators moved into the final wild card spot in the East with a 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks. Mika Zibanejad had two goals and Bobby Ryan had three assists, as Andrew Hammond improved to 14-0-1 as a starter. … Cody Eakin’s third-period goal kept the Dallas Stars’ playoff hopes alive with a 4-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Jamie Benn had two goals and an assist. … Lance Bouma’s third-period goal was the difference in the Calgary Flames’ win over the Colorado Avalanche, 3-2. He also assisted on David Jones’ first period goal. … The Winnipeg Jets improved their playoff standing with a 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers. Drew Stafford and Tyler Myers had goals. Ondrej Pavelec won again.

Did You Know? It was career coaching win No. 750 for Joel Quenneville. Jonathan Toews earned his 500th NHL point with an assist. (NHL.com)

Dishonorable Mention: The Leafs failed to sell out the ACC, as their 18,366 was the lowest total since the arena opened 16 years ago. … Logan Couture was a minus-3. … Nick Holden and Brad Stuart were a minus-3