Scheifele leads 3 Stars of the Week

NEW YORK -- Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” presented by GEICO for the week ending Dec. 29.

FIRST STAR – MARK SCHEIFELE, C, WINNIPEG JETS

Scheifele registered 4-2—6 in two games to lift the Jets (26-10-1, 53 points) to a perfect week and an 8-2-1 record in their past 11 contests dating to Dec. 5. He posted 3-1—4, including his 10th career hat trick (all w/ WPG) and sixth game-winning goal of the season, in a 5-2 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs Dec. 23. Scheifele became the second player in franchise history to accumulate at least 10 career hat tricks, following Ilya Kovalchuk (11), as well as the fifth different Jets/Thrashers player to score three goals in a single period (doing so in the final frame). He followed that with 1-1—2, his 13th multi-point performance of 2024-25 through 37 total appearances, in a 4-2 triumph over the Ottawa Senators Dec. 28. The 31-year-old Scheifele has compiled 22-22—44 overall this season, placing among the League leaders in game-winning goals (t-2nd; 6), shooting percentage (minimum: 1 SOG/GP – 5th; 25.9%), goals (t-5th; 22) and points (14th; 44). He and the Jets will face the Nashville Predators tonight on “Prime Monday Night Hockey” (7:30 p.m. ET, Prime, FDSNSO).

SECOND STAR – RASMUS DAHLIN, D, BUFFALO SABRES

Dahlin shared the League lead in assists and points with 0-7—7 in three appearances to power the Sabres (14-19-4, 32 points) to an unblemished week. He set a career high with four helpers in a 7-1 win versus the New York Islanders Dec. 23. Only four other defensemen in Buffalo history have recorded as many assists in a single game: Bill Hajt (Nov. 13, 1976 at NYR), Phil Housley (Dec. 23, 1989 at QUE), Brian Campbell (Oct. 13, 2007 vs. WSH) and Toni Lydman (Feb. 27, 2008 vs. NSH). Dahlin then helped the Sabres pick up victories against the two participants in this Tuesday’s Discover NHL Winter Classic (5 p.m. ET, TNT, truTV, MAX, SN, TVAS), notching two helpers in a 6-2 triumph against the Chicago Blackhawks Dec. 27 and one assist in a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Blues Dec. 29. The 24-year-old Dahlin, the No. 1 overall pick from the 2018 NHL Draft, sits fifth among defensemen (minimum: 10 GP) with 0.90 points per game this season and 11th overall with 6-20—26 despite missing eight of Buffalo’s 37 total contests (29 GP).

THIRD STAR – ZACH WERENSKI, D, COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Werenski matched Dahlin with 0-7—7 in three games as the Blue Jackets (15-16-6, 36 points) won two of their three contests to move within four points of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. He notched three assists, including a helper on Kirill Marchenko’s tiebreaking goal with 2:12 remaining in regulation, in a 5-4 triumph versus the Montreal Canadiens Dec. 23. Werenski then recorded his second career four-assist performance (also Nov. 22, 2023 vs. CHI: 0-4—4), doing so in a 6‑2 victory against the Boston Bruins Dec. 27, before being held off the score sheet in a 4-0 loss to the Bruins Dec. 28. The 27-year-old Werenski has appeared in 37 total games this season (11-28—39), ranking among the top NHL defensemen in average time on ice (1st; 26:18), total time on ice (1st; 972:58), goals (t-1st; 11), power-play goals (2nd; 5), points (3rd; 39), power-play points (3rd; 17), game-winning goals (t-3rd; 2), assists (4th; 28) and power-play assists (t-5th; 12).

Make sure to check back on Jan. 1 for the NHL’s announcement of GEICO’s “Fourth Star” of the month. Click here to meet November’s “Fourth Star.”