NEW YORK (March 1, 2021) – Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy and Tampa General Hospital Director of Environmental Services and Pest Control Glenda M. Wright have been named the NHL’s “First Stars” for the week ending Feb. 28.
Throughout the 2020-21 season the NHL is celebrating the remarkable efforts of the off-ice stars who make it possible for us to play our games amid a pandemic by honoring frontline healthcare heroes from the regions represented by the League’s weekly and monthly “Stars.”
Wright, who has been working at Tampa General Hospital (TGH) for 10 years, always has had an immense passion to be a person of impact – one who works authentically to influence positive change and enhance perspectives. That desire has manifested itself through her job at TGH, where the Environment Services Team has taken on an even more significant role during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wright oversees the daily completion of more than 800 occupied room cleans as well as hundreds of daily discharges, including the servicing of team member, non-clinical and ancillary spaces.
“We care for the environment,” Wright says. “With Environmental Services, cleaning is like the first level. What we do is we disinfect, we erase pathogens. That is our job. Get rid of the microorganisms that people cannot see with their normal eye.” Despite the challenges of the pandemic both at the hospital and in their personal lives, Wright’s Environmental Services Team has shown up to work each day ready to make a difference and help those in-need in any way they can.
Rounding out the “Three Stars” of the week are Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane and Minnesota Wild right wing Mats Zuccarello. More on each NHL player’s performance can be found below:
FIRST STAR – ANDREI VASILEVSKIY, G, TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Vasilevskiy stopped 79 of the 81 shots he faced to go 3-0-0 (0.67 GAA, .975 SV, 2 SO), helping the defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning (14-4-1, 29 points) move into first place in the Discover NHL Central Division. He turned aside 34 shots, including all 17 he saw in the third period, in a 4-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes Feb. 22. Vasilevskiy then earned consecutive shutouts, making 25 saves in a 3-0 win against the Hurricanes Feb. 25 and 20 stops in a 5-0 triumph over the Dallas Stars Feb. 27 – their first meeting since the 2020 Stanley Cup Final. The 26-year-old Tyumen, Russia, native and 2018-19 Vezina Trophy winner leads the NHL with 12 victories in 16 games this season (12-3-1). He also ranks second among goaltenders with at least five appearances in both goals-against average (1.75) and save percentage (.938), behind only Vegas’ Marc-Andre Fleury (1.59 GAA, .941 SV%).
SECOND STAR – PATRICK KANE, RW, CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
Kane posted a League-leading 3-5—8 in four outings, highlighted by his 400th NHL goal, to power the Blackhawks (12-7-4, 28 points) to a trio of wins. He registered 1-3—4, his 15th career regular-season game with at least four points, in a 6-5 shootout victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets Feb. 23. Kane then scored his 63rd career game-winning goal, eighth among all players since he entered the League in 2007-08, in 2-0 triumph against the Blue Jackets Feb. 25. After being held off the scoresheet in a 5-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings Feb. 27, Kane rebounded with 1-2—3 – including his 400th NHL goal – in a 7-2 victory over the Red Wings Feb. 28. The 32-year-old Buffalo, N.Y., native – who sits second in the NHL with 11-23—34 in 23 contests this season – became the 100th player in League history, and ninth born in the U.S., to reach the milestone.
THIRD STAR – MATS ZUCCARELLO, RW, MINNESOTA WILD
Zuccarello ranked second in the NHL with 2-6—8 in four appearances to help the Wild (12-6-0, 24 points) extend their winning streak to six games and move into second place in the Honda NHL West Division. He registered 1-3—4, his second career four-point performance (also Oct. 7, 2017 at TOR: 1-3—4), in a 6-2 triumph over the San Jose Sharks Feb. 22. Zuccarello then collected 1-1—2 in a 6-2 win against the Colorado Avalanche Feb. 24. He added two assists in a pair of victories over the Los Angeles Kings, picking up one helper in a 3-1 triumph Feb. 26 and earning the primary assist on Matt Dumba’s last-second overtime winner in a 4-3 victory Feb. 27. The 33-year-old Oslo, Norway, native has played in seven contests this season, recording points in each of Minnesota’s six consecutive wins dating to Feb. 18 (3-8—11).
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