FIVE STAR

He isn't slowing down, folks.
If anything, he's just taken it up a notch - if that's possible.
With three goals and eight points in only four games, Flames defenceman/captain/heartbeat-of-the-franchise Mark Giordano has been named the NHL's First Star of the Week.

Giordano led the NHL with three goals and eight points in only four games to power the Pacific and Western Conference-leading Flames to a perfect week and their fifth straight win overall.

He opened the week with one assist in a 4-3 road win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 7. He then recorded his fifth-career three-assist outing (and third of the season) in a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche to open a five-game homestand on Jan. 9. He followed that up with a goal in a 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers on Jan. 11, and capped the week by celebrating his 800th career game by notching a pair of goals (his seventh-career multi-goal performance) and adding one assist in a 7-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday.
The 6-foot-1, 200 lb. blueliner was also a +7 over the past week, and tops all players with an incredible +36 rating this season.

Giordano, 35, now has nine goals and 47 points in 45 games, ranking second in scoring among defencemen, and is a frontrunner for the Norris Trophy at this rate.
"Gio's got a real good release and what he does is he's patient; he lets the screen develop," said head coach Bill Peters. "Just a real smart, cagey guy. He shows some patience there letting the screen develop and all of a sudden it's on and off his stick at the right time. Real good decision-making by him. Offensively, obviously, and in every aspect of the game, he's a real complete player."
The captain will move into a tie for third with Al MacInnis on the franchise's games played list with career game No. 803, which could come in the Battle of Alberta later this week.
"I'm more happy about being here for as long as I have and being able to play in this city as long as I have," Giordano said. "With the salary cap and all the things that happen, all the player movement, it's hard to play in one city and I really appreciate playing here. I'm glad I've played here this long, and hopefully I can play here for a number of years and end my career here."
Giordano is the first defenceman to be named the First Star of the Week this season.

Giordano is now only nine points off his career high, set in the 2015-16 campaign, with 35 games left in the regular season.