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Brent Burns Named NHL’s Third Star In March

By Patrick Leiva

Mar 22, 2016; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns (88) shoots against the St. Louis Blues in the 2nd period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 22, 2016; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns (88) shoots against the St. Louis Blues in the 2nd period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports /
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Brent Burns was an offensive force for the Sharks during the month of March, bolstering his Norris Trophy candidacy.

With the month of March now officially in the rear view mirror, the San Jose Sharks had one of their most dynamic players recognized by the NHL.

Brent Burns was named as the third star during March after scoring six goals and 13 assists (19 points) in 16 games to go along with a plus-one rating.

Burns began the month on the right foot with a three-game goal streak and four-game point streak as he was giving an indication of what was to come later on.

During their 16 contests, Burns registered at least one point in 12 of them as he was a driving force on the San Jose blue line. Also, he put together seven multi-point performances including five different occasions when he scored one goal and one assist.

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The 31-year-old defensemen closed the month on a high note as well, carrying a five-game point streak (one goal, seven assists) into April following a two-assist performance in last night’s loss to the Vancouver Canucks.

Furthermore, March was a historic one for Burns as he established new franchise records for goals (27), assists (46) and points (73) by a blue liner, surpassing the totals of Sandis Ozolinsh. All three figures are career-highs for Burns as he’s netted five more goals, three more assists and 13 more points than his previous career bests.

For the season, Burns leads the entire league with 27 goals from the back end, seven more than Mark Giordano and Oliver Ekman-Larsson who both have 20 respectively. His 46 assists and 73 points each rank second amongst defensemen, trailing only Erik Karlsson who has 63 assists and 78 points for the year.

Even more impressive, his 73 points are tied for eighth in the league amongst all skaters with Tyler Seguin and Johnny Gaudreau, and he trails teammates Joe Pavelski (75 points) and Joe Thornton (76 points) by two and three points respectively for the team lead. The trio gives the Sharks three players who rank in the top-10 in scoring which no other club in the league can match.

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Needless to say, it was quite the performance from Burns during March as he’s firmly entrenched himself in the Norris Trophy discussion. While it won’t be easy to overtake either Karlsson or Drew Doughty, the two perceived front-runners, Burns’ play has made this a much closer race than many expected.

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