First Star: David Booth, Florida Panthers - Any Gordie Howe Hat Trick automatically garners consideration for first star of the night, but when you throw in the fact that it involved a four point night and David Booth, who is most certainly not known for his truculence, it becomes a heck of a lot more impressive.  Booth hunted down Mike Richards early in the game for his revenge fight for his contentious hit on Booth earlier in the season, then proceeded to score a goal and three assists in the Panthers 7-4 drubbing of the Flyers, ending a seven game slide.

Second Star: Niklas Backstrom, Minnesota Wild - Backstrom may not have been tested too much, but it was an important statement for the Wild's top goaltender, who has struggled this season.  Backstrom stopped all 29 shots that he faced and led the Wild to a 4-0 victory in Calgary's Saddledome against fellow Finn, Miikka Kipprusof.

Third Star: Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks - Kesler continued his strong play from the Olympics, heading into Detroit and notching a pair of book ends as the Canucks cruised to a 6-3 victory.  Kesler gave the Canucks a 1-0 lead with a nifty five-hole shot on Jimmy Howard, then capped off the ‘Nucks scoring for the evening with a beautiful tip-in on Chris Osgood.

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