TAMPA, FL – MARCH 18: T.J. Oshie #77 of the Washington Capitals celebrates a goal against goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy #88 of the Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period at Amalie Arena on March 18, 2017 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mark LoMoglio/NHLI via Getty Images) No. 1 Star: T.J. Oshie, Washington Capitals
T.J. Oshie had one heck of a game. He scored a hat trick and added an assist on John Carlson’s goal. With the win, the Caps punched their ticket to the playoffs. They are the first team in the NHL to clinch a spot.

No. 2 Star: Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets
The rookie defenseman assisted on Josh Anderson’s goal to give the Blue Jackets the lead. After John Tavares tied it up and the game went to OT, Werenski’s incredible head fake then pass to Cam Atkinson sealed the game for Columbus. The Jackets are only two points behind division leading Washington with a game in hand.

No. 3 Star: Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens
Price made 28 through regulation and overtime before stopping all Ottawa Senators in the shootout. He improved his record to 32-17-5 on the season. More importantly, he and the rest of the Habs increased their lead over the Sens by two points in the standings. The teams play the second half of a home-and-home on Sunday.
Honorable Mention: With the score tied 1-1, Tomas Tatar broke the game open scoring two goals in ninety seconds. Dylan Larkin and Gustav Nyqust completed the Detroit Red Wings four goal third period to beat the Colorado Avalanche, 5-1 … Check out John Tavares’s game-tying goal from the blue line:

… Oscar Lindberg collected a goal and an assist in the New York Rangers 3-2 win over the Wild. Jimmy Vesey snapped a 14-game goal-less skid earning his 15 goal of the season … John Hayden of the Blackhawks scored his first NHL goal. William Nylander extended his point scoring streak to seven games with his assist on Auston Matthews’ 32nd goal of the season:

… Andrew Shaw and Phillip Danault led the Canadiens with 2 points each. Erik Karlsson’s two points give him 65 on the year … Jake Allen made all 31 saves for the St. Louis Blues as the team shutout the Arizona Coyotes, 3-0 … Nicklas Backstrom tied Oshie with a team-high four points, all assists, in the Washington Capitals 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Alex Killorn scored an impressive goal while falling:

… Jeff Skinner netted two goals giving him 25 on the season as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Nashville Predators, 4-2. Filip Forsberg picked up his 29th goal of the season to bring the Preds within one before Elias Lindholm scored a shorthanded goal with 26-second left … Connor McDavid scored his 25th goal as the Edmonton Oilers shutout the Vancouver Canucks, 3-0. Cam Talbot earned his 36th win with 33 saves. Leon Draisaitl’s two assists gives him 63-points total … Patrick Eaves scored 39-seconds into the first period. Ryan Getzlaf’s assist on the goal his 800th point with the Anaheim Ducks. Anaheim went on to beat the San Jose Sharks, 2-1. Jonathan Bernier is 7-1-1 in his last nine for the Ducks.

Did You Know? Andrew Cogliano’s streak of 776 consecutive games (819 including playoff games) is the NHL’s longest in more than 23 years. He ties Craig Ramsay for the fourth longest streak in NHL history. [Anaheim Ducks]
Dishonorable Mention: The Minnesota Wild have hit a four game losing streak and are 3-7-0 in their last 10 … Ryan Hartman scored the overtime winner for the Chicago Blackhawks against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The situation room said this was a good goal, what say you?

… Marcus Johanson left the game after 2:53 TOI with what was classified as an ‘illness’ … Shane Doan missed the game against St. Louis with a lower-body injury. Arizona’s Anthony DiAngelo was tossed 1:59 into the game after boarding Zach Sanford. The refs gave him a 10-minute game misconduct and a 5-minute major. Sanford left the ice for the remainder of the first and returned for the rest of the game.
Here’s the full sequence of Anthony DeAngelo’s hit from behind on Zach Sanford, @MsJenNeale_PD. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/xgXMAUnX5q
— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) March 19, 2017
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Jen Neale is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter! Follow @MsJenNeale_PD.