Johan Franzen tops NHL's 'Three Stars of the Week'

NEW YORK -- Right wings Johan Franzen of the Detroit Red Wings, Mikael Samuelsson of the Vancouver Canucks and Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks have been named the NHL's 'Three Stars' for the week ending Feb. 6.

FIRST STAR – JOHAN FRANZEN, RW, DETROIT RED WINGS

Franzen led all NHL goal-scorers and needed just one game to do it, scoring five times in a 7-5 victory over the Ottawa Senators Feb. 2. Franzen became the first NHL player to score five goals in a game since Marian Gaborik, then with the Minnesota Wild, did it against the New York Rangers on Dec. 20, 2007. Before that, the last five-goal scorer was Detroit's Sergei Fedorov on Dec. 26, 1996. Franzen scored two goals in the first period to erase a 1-0 Ottawa lead and tallied three more times in the final frame. His third goal of the game broke a 4-4 tie, his fourth was the game-winner and his final tally was the empty-net insurance marker. The 31-year-old Vetlanda, Sweden native fired 10 shots on goal -- no other player had more than four -- and finished the game with a +3 rating.

SECOND STAR – MIKAEL SAMUELSSON, RW, VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Samuelsson was the NHL scoring leader last week with six points (two goals, four assists) in three games as the top-ranked Canucks (34-10-9) zoomed out of the All-Star break by extending their winning streak to five games. Samuelsson recorded multiple points in each game, starting with one goal and one assist in a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars Feb. 1. He recorded two assists in a 6-0 win over the Phoenix Coyotes Feb. 2 and finished the week by notching one goal and one assist in a 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks Feb. 4. Skating in his second season with the Canucks, Samuelsson ranks fourth on the club in scoring with 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in 52 games.

THIRD STAR – COREY PERRY, RW, ANAHEIM DUCKS

Perry notched five points (three goals, two assists) last week, helping the Ducks (29-21-4) split a pair of games coming out of the All-Star break. Perry had two assists in a 4-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks Feb. 2 and recorded his second hat trick of the season and NHL career in a 3-0 victory over the Colorado Avalanche Feb. 5. The sixth-year Duck leads his club in scoring and ranks seventh in the League with 56 points (28 goals, 28 assists) in 54 games. He is four goals from his single-season high of 32, set in 2008-09.