Gustav Nyquist named NHL’s first star of the week

By Michael Caples –

Gustav Nyquist has played a big role in the Red Wings’ climb up the standings of late, and he’s getting recognized for his efforts by the NHL.

The league announced their players of the week list today, and the Detroit forward claimed the top spot.

Nyquist, a 24-year-old native of Halmstad, Sweden, led all players with six goals over the last week, helping the Wings move into the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference after they picked up seven out of a possible eight points in the playoff race.

The Maine product recorded two goals in a 3-2 win over Toronto on March 18, then a goal and an assist (setting up Daniel Alfredsson’s game-winner) against Pittsburgh on March 20. On March 22, he recorded his fifth game-winning goal of the season in a 3-2 win over Minnesota, then added two more goals in their 4-3 loss to the same club the next night.

Nyquist now has 23 goals and 17 assists for 40 points in 46 games on the season. He leads the league with 18 goals in 23 games since Jan. 20.