Leafs centre Matthews, Oilers captain McDavid among NHL stars of the week

NEW YORK — Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews, Edmonton Oilers centre Connor McDavid and Florida Panthers left-wing Matthew Tkachuk have been named the NHL’s three stars of the week.

Matthews recorded hat tricks in consecutive games and added two assists as the Maple Leafs had a 3-0-0 week and moved into third place in the Atlantic Division.

After he was held off the scoresheet in a 4-1 victory against St. Louis on Tuesday, Matthews had his first career natural hat trick in a 4-3 overtime win over Philadelphia on Thursday. 

He then set a career high with five points (three goals, two assists) in a 9-2 win over Anaheim on Saturday. He became the 10th player in NHL history to record six hat tricks in a season.