Chicago Blackhawks winger Marian Hossa earned NHL First Star of the Week honors for the week of Feb. 9-15 thanks to his recent scoring outburst. The league announced the news Monday morning, noting that Hossa led all goal scorers during the week with five and tied for the points lead with six.
Hossa has been a revelation of late, turning around a season that was on pace to be one of his least productive ever. The four-game multi-point streak was among the most impressive stretches we’ve seen from a ‘Hawks player in recent memory, and quickly eroded any concerns that the 36-year-old was finally hitting the next step in his decline.
Only three of those multi-point games came last week, but it was more than enough for Hossa to deserve credit as one of the game’s hottest players. He put up back-to-back multi-goal games in losses to Arizona and Vancouver, then recorded a goal and an assist in the win over New Jersey. The scoring streak was snapped in the Sunday afternoon tilt against Pittsburgh, but even then he still had an impact with three shots on goal.
The overall numbers for the week are indeed impressive: five goals, one assists, 14 SOG. Now Hossa’s numbers are pretty much back on track, largely due to some healthy regression in his shooting percentage.
Congrats, Marian!