⭐️⭐️⭐️ – Jonathan Bernier
It was a night that looked up on Friday as the Detroit Red Wings walked away with the victory, defeating the Boston Bruins by a final of 4-2 at home. Speaking of which, Jonathan Bernier was amongst the players who impressed the Detroit faithful as he stopped 26 of the 28 shots he faced while also adding two assists to his performance.
Bernier has been a light at the end of a long and dark tunnel for the Red Wings and with the outcome at Little Caesars Arena, it became the first time a Red Wings goaltender had recorded two assists in an NHL game since the league merged with the World Hockey Association back in 1979-1980.
For his performance on Friday night, Bernier was named the third star of the game and now owns a record of 3-4. As well, following a four-game losing streak, Bernier boosted his SV% to 0.929 as the Red Wings got back in the win column.
⭐️⭐️ – Mikko Koskinen
Much like Jonathan Bernier, Mikko Koskinen put on a show on Friday, recording 29 saves for the Edmonton Oilers as they shutout the New Jersey Devils at Rogers Place. With his performance en route to the victory, the Oilers snapped a two-game losing skid with a 4-0 win to close their three-game homestand.
For his effort against the Devils in what was their final meeting of the season, Koskinen’s record boosts up to 6-1 while he now owns a SV% of 1.000. It also handed New Jersey what would be their second consecutive loss. At the hands of a loss on the road, the New Jersey Devils now sit at 4-7-4 while the Edmonton Oilers are 11-5-2.
⭐️ – Robby Fabbri
After a difficult start to the season with the St. Louis Blues in Missouri, the organization traded Canadian centreman Robby Fabbri to the Detroit Red Wings. According to The Hockey News, the deal came at the expense of his IR stints which saw him suffer a pair of knee injuries which resulted in the loss of his spot and his playing time.
Fabbri, who is a native of Mississauga, Ontario, made his debut in Detroit on Friday as the Red Wings played host to the Boston Bruins. While Koskinen caught attention with his 29 save effort and two assists made, it was the former first-round pick who stole the spotlight en route to the victory.
Fabbri, 23-years-old kicked off the game and in style for Detroit, scoring a pair of goals, both on the power play, a pleasant sight for sore eyes in Detroit. The goals, his second and third of the regular season upon his arrival, handed the left-handed shooter first star of the night honours and a total ice time of 13:15. This also gave the former cup champion a Plus/Minus rating of -1 in his debut.