NHL 3 stars of the week

Alex Ovechkin sure knows how to put on a show.

With a national TV audience watching on NBC and a full house at the snowy Verizon Center looking on, Ovechkin lit up the ice on Super Bowl Sunday, capping yet another brilliant week.

Ovechkin’s hat trick helped the Caps rally from a 4-1 deficit to force overtime, and his power-play blast off the post in OT turned into the game-winning assist when Mike Knuble tucked in the rebound for a stunning 5-4 win — Washington’s 14th in a row.

Sunday’s performance capped yet another sensational week for “The Great 8.” He ended with 6 goals and 10 points in four games (all victories) while going plus-6. Sunday’s hat trick moved him past Sidney Crosby and Patrick Marleau into first place in the goal-scoring race with 42 (he’s the first 40-goal scorer this season).

Overall, he has 16 points during a seven-game points streak and 36 in his last 17 games (he had points in 16 of those). The only thing that will stop him from terrorizing NHL goaltenders is the Olympic break that begins next Sunday.

Second Star: Jean-Sebastien Giguere — Talk about making a good first impression and getting the fans on your side! Toronto’s newest hero began his Leafs career like no other goaltender in franchise history — putting up shutouts in back-to-back games. He blanked both New Jersey (3-0) and Ottawa (6-0) — ending the Senators’ 11-game winning streak in the process.

Third Star: Nicklas Backstrom — As great as he is, Ovechkin is hardly a one-man show. Backstrom, his center, is a key cog in the Caps’ juggernaut — and he was almost as good as his linemate last week, scoring twice and adding eight assists. With 73 points in 59 games, Backstrom is on his way to a 100-point season of his own.