Brad Marchand, America's favorite pest, wins NHL First Star of the Week

Brad Marchand, "Nose Face Killah" to his friends, has been awarded the NHL First Star of the Week award.

"Marchy takes a lot of pride in his game", said general manager Don Sweeney following Saturday’s game.

And it showed. It showed in his composure, attitude and his no-quit, relentless style of game. It also showed in his performance, which is what got him the NHL’s first star award today.

Just two weeks after being diagnosed with a concussion, Brad Marchand tallied four goals and two assists against the Arizona Coyotes, Florida Panthers, and Tampa Bay Lightning. Thanks to @War_on_Ice, a closer look at his on-ice performance shows just how dominant he has been in every facet of the game. He’s consistently ranked in the top 3 in scoring chance generation and shot attempts. He’s also posted a team-best CF% Rel, a solid indicator revealing just how crucial he's been in driving his teammates’ play. Offensively, his teammates have generated 15 (!!!) more scoring chances per game with him on the ice than when he wasn’t.

"That’s Brad’s game", added head coach Claude Julien. We agree.