Nashville's Pekka Rinne Named NHL Third Star of the Month for March

Nashville's Hart and Vezina Trophy contender, Pekka Rinne was named the NHL Third Star of the month for March based on his stellar play in leading the Predators to their month of the season when the went 10-3-2 which moved them into sixth place in the Western Conference.

The first star was Anaheim's Corey Perry and the second was Vancouver's Daniel Sedin.

Here is the official release from the NHL...

PERRY, SEDIN AND RINNE NAMED NHL 'THREE STARS' FOR MARCH

NEW YORK (April 1, 2011) – Anaheim Ducks right wing Corey Perry, Vancouver Canucks left wing Daniel Sedin and Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne have been named the NHL 'Three Stars' for March.

FIRST STAR – COREY PERRY, RW, ANAHEIM DUCKS

Perry led the NHL in goals (15) and tied for the lead in points (21) in 14 games, helping the Ducks (44-28-5) climb to seventh place in the Western Conference standings. He also posted a League-leading four game-winning goals and registered a +9 rating. Perry tallied points in 10 games and goals in nine, including two-goal games versus the New York Rangers (Mar. 9), Phoenix Coyotes (Mar. 13), Calgary Flames (Mar. 20, Mar. 30) and Chicago Blackhawks (Mar. 26). Perry leads the NHL in goals with 46 and ranks fourth in points (89). He is tied with Washington’s Alex Ovechkin and Vancouver’s Daniel Sedin for the League lead in game-winning goals, each with 10.

SECOND STAR – DANIEL SEDIN, LW, VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Sedin tied for the League lead in points with 21 (nine goals, 12 assists) in 15 games, helping the Canucks (52-17-9) clinch the Presidents' Trophy as the team with the best record in the regular season. Sedin recorded points in 12 games and goals in nine, including three game-winning goals (Mar. 5 vs. Los Angeles, Mar. 12 vs. Calgary and Mar. 23 vs. Detroit). He recorded seven multiple-point games, highlighted by three-point efforts against Phoenix (Mar. 8) and Calgary (Mar. 12). Sedin leads the NHL in scoring with 100 points (41 goals, 59 assists) and is tied with Corey Perry and Alex Ovechkin for the League lead in game-winning goals (10).

THIRD STAR – PEKKA RINNE, G, NASHVILLE PREDATORS

Rinne posted a 9-3-2 record with a 1.91 goals-against average, .936 save percentage and two shutouts, helping the Predators (42-26-10) finish the month in sixth place in the Western Conference playoff race. He allowed two goals or fewer in seven of 14 games, including a 29-save, 3-0 shutout victory over the Vancouver Canucks Mar. 3 and a 19-save 4-0 shutout over the Minnesota Wild Mar. 10. In his third full season with Nashville, Rinne has posted a 31-21-8 record with a 2.10 goals-against average, .929 save percentage and six shutouts in 60 appearances.

More later...

Buddy Oakes for PredsOntheGlass