NEW YORK — Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, Pittsburgh Penguins centre Evgeni Malkin and Minnesota Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk have been named the NHL's three stars for December.
Bobrovsky went 12-0-0 with a 1.75 goals-against average and .939 save percentage to guide the Blue Jackets to a perfect 14-0-0 December and the top of the League standings. He allowed two or fewer goals in nine of his 12 December appearances and also made 30-plus saves five times, including a season-high 37 stops Dec. 27 Boston.
Malkin paced the league with 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists) in 15 contests to power the Penguins to a 12-1-2 December and second place in the overall NHL standings. He collected at least one point in 11 of his 15 games, highlighted by eight multi-point performances as well as his 800th career point Dec. 27 at New Jersey.
Dubnyk went 10-1-1 with a 1.88 goals-against average, .934 save percentage and one shutout to backstop the Wild to a 12-1-1 December, including a franchise-record 12-game winning streak.
Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews was named rookie of the month. Matthews had 12 points (eight goals, four assists) in 12 games to take over the rookie lead on goals (20) and points (32).
The Canadian Press