Brown, Ward, Hemsky earn NHL honors

NEW YORK, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- The weekly NHL "Three Stars" honors went to LA Kings wing Dustin Brown, Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward and Edmonton Oilers wing Ales Hemsky Monday.

In the week ending Sunday, Brown scored game-winning goals in consecutive road wins over Minnesota and Colorado, helping push Los Angeles within six points of the Western Conference's final playoff seed. Brown also had an assist in his first All-Star appearance.

Ward stopped 67-of-68 shots in back-to-back road wins against Toronto and Pittsburgh, lifting Carolina into the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot.

Hemsky had two goals and two assists in his only game last week, giving Edmonton its fifth victory in six games and helped bring its record to 24-19-3, good for sixth in the West.