Buffalo Sabres goalie Dustin Tokarski has been named the NHL’s First Star of the Week after earning his first two wins since 2015 and making a league high-128 saves.
In four appearances through Sunday, Tokarski, 31, compiled a 2-1-1 record with a 2.27 goal-against average and a .934 save percentage.
In Thursday’s 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals, Tokarski won his first NHL game since Dec. 12, 2015, making 27 saves. It was also his first win since his father, Mark, passed away in 2017.
Tokarski followed up by making 38 saves in Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He made 34 stops in Sunday’s 4-2 win over the Penguins.
He also made 29 saves after relieving an injured Linus Ullmark in Tuesday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins.
Overall, Tokarski has compiled a 2-5-2 record with a 3.15 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage in nine games this season. He hadn’t played in the NHL since 2016 before last month.
New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin (four goals and 10 points in four games) and Vegas Golden Knights winger Mark Stone (three goals and eight points in four games) earned second and third star honors, respectively.
