Ottawa's Elliott takes top NHL honors

NEW YORK, March 29 (UPI) -- Ottawa goaltender Brian Elliott, who had a pair of shutouts last week, was selected the NHL No. 1 star of the week, the league said Monday.

Elliott took top honors while Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard and New Jersey left wing Ilya Kovalchuk also took player of the week awards for games played March 22-28.

Elliott allowed just four goals over four games in that period as the Senators picked up four victories. His shutouts of Montreal and Philadelphia came on consecutive days. The streak has put Ottawa on the verge of locking up an Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Howard, a rookie, also has the Red Wings close to the playoffs. He collected three wins in three starts last week. The highlight came Saturday in a 1-0 victory over Nashville in which he stopped 33 shots during the game and 10 of 11 in the shootout.

Kovalchuk had three goals and five assists for an NHL-best eight points last week and was picked to be the No. 3 star. Half of his points game in a game against Columbus.