April 1, 2010

Stempniak is NHL's First Star in March

GLENDALE, ARIZONA --- The National Hockey League announced today that Phoenix Coyotes right wing Lee Stempniak has been named the NHL’s First Star for the month of March. Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard was named the second star while Vancouver Canucks center Henrik Sedin was named the third star.

Stempniak scored an NHL-leading 13 goals in 14 games with the Coyotes following his acquisition from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Mar. 3 trade deadline. He also added three assists and a +7 rating with his new club, helping the Coyotes (47-25-6) post a nine-game winning streak, set single-season franchise records for victory (47) and point (100) totals and secure their first berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2002.

Stempniak scored just 6:13 into his Coyotes debut in a 3-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Mar. 4 and went on to notch two-goal games in victories over the Vancouver Canucks (4-3, Mar. 10), Carolina Hurricanes (4-0, Mar. 13), Chicago Blackhawks (5-4, Mar. 20) and Avalanche (6-2, Mar. 27). The 27-year-old native of West Seneca, NY has matched his single-season career-high in goals (27), set with St. Louis in 2006-07. For the season, Stempniak has registered 27-19-46 in 76 games with Phoenix and Toronto.