Carolina Hurricanes forward Eric Staal, who tallied seven points (three goals, four assists) in three games, has been named the NHL’s Offensive Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, March 5.  Montreal Canadiens goaltender Cristobal Huet, who led Montreal to three victories with a 1.67 goals-against average and .943 save percentage, is the League’s Defensive Player of the Week.

Minnesota Wild forward Marian Gaborik, who posted six points (5-1--6 in four games), St. Louis Blues forward Jay McClement (1-5--6 in three games) and Montreal forward Chris Higgins (4-1--5 in three games) were runners-up for offensive honors, while goaltenders Ray Emery of the Ottawa Senators (3-0-0, 2.00 GAA), and Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils (2-0-1, 1.26 GAA) were runners-up for the defensive award.

Staal recorded points in each game as the Hurricanes posted three consecutive victories following the Olympic break.  He recorded one assist in a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins March 1, scored two goals in a 5-2 victory over Florida Panthers March 3 and finished the week by notching a goal and three assists in a 7-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins March 4.

Staal leads Carolina and ranks third in the NHL scoring race with 82 points (39 goals, 43 assists).  The Hurricanes (42-14-4, 88 points) lead the Southeast Division, Eastern Conference and NHL overall standings.

Huet began a six-game road trip by making 32 saves in a 5-3 victory over the New York Islanders Feb. 28.  He turned aside 24 shots in a 1-0 win over the Florida Panthers March 2, his third shutout of the season, and made 27 saves in a 6-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning March 4.

Huet is 9-5-3 with a 2.26 goals-against average and .929 save percentage in 20 games this season, including a 6-0-2 mark in his past eight starts.