NEW YORK, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Carolina Hurricanes forward Eric Staal and New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur were named NHL Players of the Week for the period ending Sunday.
Staal earned Offensive Player of the Week honors after helping Carolina to a 3-0 record by notching points in every game (three goals, four assists). He had two assists in a January 10 win before adding a helper in a January 13 overtime victory against Nashville.
Staal recorded a hat trick and an assist in a 4-2 win over St. Louis two night later. On the season, Staal leads the club in scoring and ranks seventh in the league with 59 points (29 goals, 30 assists).
Brodeur earned the defensive award after posting a 3-0 record with a 0.65 goals against average and a .975 save percentage this week. The veteran goaltender started the week with 22 saves as New Jersey shut out the Flyers, 3-0, January 9, and four nights later, Brodeur stopped 26 shots and recorded his second straight shutout in 3-0 blanking over Vancouver.
Sunday, Brodeur made 29 saves in a 3-2 victory over the Blackhawks, giving him 423 career wins, tying him with Tony Esposito for fifth place on the all-time wins list.
This year Brodeur has a 20-14-3 record with a 2.68 GAA and a .903 save percentage.
