Sandy third star

The NHL announced today that Ottawa Senators’ defenceman Jake Sanderson has been named the league’s third star of the week ending February 2. The Senators have seen great success in the past week, in large part thanks to Sanderson’s efforts.

In two games, Sanderson totalled six points coming in the form of two goals and four assists. The defenceman, 22, also tallied seven shots on goal between the two games.

Kicking off the week, the Senators played host to the Washington Capitals on January 30 in what was a tight game that resulted in a 5-4 overtime victory. Sanderson played a total of 23:17, eating up big minutes to help his team come away with the win. He assisted Shane Pinto’s shorthanded goal in the second period, then scored a goal of his own on the power play in the third.

Two nights later, the Minnesota Wild came to town. In what was easily one of the Senators’ most dominant wins of the season, Sanderson put on a clinic with a goal and three assists in 22:14 minutes of playing time. Sanderson started things off with yet another shorthanded assist on Josh Norris’ goal in the opening period. With the assist, Sanderson also reached a career milestone as he reached 100 career points.

In the second, he picked up another assist on Tim Stützle’s goal. To open the third period, Sanderson scored a power play goal just 38 seconds in, then followed up with his third assist of the night on Drake Batherson’s power play goal just two minutes later. Sanderson’s strong offensive outing earned him the honour of first star.

Sanderson’s success hasn’t been limited to just this week. His 33 points ranks him fifth on the team and first amongst defencemen. At just 22 years old, Sanderson has already established himself as one of the team’s top defencemen. With his career just getting started, there is sure to be more recognition of his talent to come.

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