NEW YORK, Dec. 1 -- Colorado Avalanche center Joe Sakic was named Friday as the NHL Player of the Month for November after leading the league in scoring with nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points.
The 31-year-old posted a league-leading plus-minus rating of plus-15, helping the Avalanche claim the league's best record with a 17-4-3-0 in 24 games.
Sakic figured in 56 percent of his team's goals in November, leading the team to a 8-3-1-0 record and picking up the slack for injured teammates. The Avalanche was without Chris Drury and Adam Deadmarsh for 11 games apiece and Peter Forsberg for seven games.
Sakic opened the month with an eight-game scoring streak, collecting seven goals and nine assists. Overall, he is eighth in scoring with 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists), third in plus-minus at plus-16 and fifth in shots with 94.
Other players considered for the award were New York Rangers right wing Theo Fleury and defenseman Brian Leetch, Colorado left wing Alex Tanguay, Dallas goaltender Ed Belfour and Los Angeles right wing Zigmund Palffy.
