New York, NY – Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov has been named the NHL's First Star for the month of March.
Bryzgalov enjoyed the finest span in his brief Philly tenure last month, going 10-2-1 with a 1.43 goals-against average, .947 save percentage and a league- best four shutouts.
The 31-year-old won seven consecutive starts to begin March, and posted his four whitewashes in a five-start span in the middle portion of the month. In the process, Bryzgalov set a new franchise record for scoreless play at 249 minutes, 43 seconds.
For the season, the former Phoenix Coyote netminder is 32-15-7 with a 2.46 GAA and six shutouts in 57 appearances.
Second Star honors went to Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin, who led all players with 23 points (11G, 12A) in only 15 games. He notched seven multi-point efforts last month, capped by his fourth five-point game of the year -- a two-goal, three-assist performance -- in an 8-4 win over Winnipeg on March 20.
Buffalo Sabres crease guardian Ryan Miller rounded out the monthly honors, going 10-3-2 with a 2.17 GAA, .930 save percentage and a pair of clean sheets. The Michigan State product won five straight starts from March 19-27 and set a career high with his sixth shutout of the season in a 3-0 win over Montreal on March 21.
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