WILMINGTON, Mass. — The Boston Bruins were the NHL’s best team in March. Jarome Iginla was the NHL’s top player, too.
The Bruins winger was announced as the NHL’s first star for a month in which he scored 13 goals and had four assists in 17 games. The Bruins went 15-1-1, including a 12-game winning streak, in that span.
Detroit’s Gustav Nyquist was the NHL’s second star in March, and Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux earned the third star.
Iginla posted four two-goal games and six multiple-point games in March. He also moved up on the NHL’s all-time goals list, passing Boston legend Johnny Bucyk on March 21, and now is tied with Guy Lafleur for 24th with 560 goals.
“It’s an honor,” Iginla said Tuesday. “It’s been an enjoyable month, and I think it’s been an honor for our whole team. We’ve had a great month.”
Iginla bounced back nicely after a slow start to the season. He didn’t score until his ninth game, but he now has 25 goals in his last 50 games en route to scoring 30 for the 12th time in his 17-year NHL career.
“When you look at the way he’s been this month, he’s been really consistent, he’s been a clutch player,” Bruins head coach Claude Julien said. “Those kind of guys who have been around a long time are pretty savvy when it comes to dealing with the whole season.
“Sometimes they do have the slower starts, but for me, the slow start was only production-wise, certainly not work ethic and commitment. He finds his groove, he finds his hands and everything that comes with it, and at the end of the season, where we are right now, he’s playing some of his best hockey. So it’s a good thing for us to witness here with him. He’s very deserving of receiving that award.”
