Wild's Zucker named NHL's first star of the week

Red-hot Minnesota Wild winger Jason Zucker's scoring streak earned him some league-wide recognition Monday.



Zucker was named the NHL's First Star of the Week after scoring a league-leading six goals last week, helping the Wild to a 2-2 record on their four-game road trip.

After notching an assist in the Wild's 5-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Nov. 6, Zucker scored Minnesota's next six goals, striking twice in a 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He powered the Wild to a 3-0 win Thursday over the Montreal Canadiens, netting his first NHL hat trick, before scoring the only goal in Minnesota's 1-0 win Saturday over the Philadelphia Flyers.

The final tally: seven points, six goals (two game-winners and one short-handed), a plus-four rating, four hits and 17 shots on goal.

Zucker now leads the Wild in points (14), goals (nine), multi-point games (five) and power-play goals (three).

Right wing Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning was the NHL's second star, while goaltender Braden Holtby earned the third star.