St. Louis Blues’ Jori Lehtera Wins NHL First Star of the Week
For the third straight week, a St. Louis Blues player has earned a spot in the league’s “3 Stars of the Week”. After Vladimir Tarasenko was the first star two weeks ago and the third star last week, his linemate, Jori Lehtera, earned the distinction this week, being named the first star.
Lehtera, a 26-year-old Finnish native who is playing his first season in the NHL after spending all of his previous career in Europe, tied for the league lead in goals, with four (three of which came in a hat trick on Tuesday), and points, with six, this past week. For the season overall, Lehtera has seven goals and 10 assists. That ties him with Jaden Schwartz for second on the team in goals, and puts him behind only Tarasenko and Schwartz for the overall lead in points.
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The “STL line” comprised of Tarasenko, Schwartz, and Lehtera has been crucial in leading the Blues to victory this year. The group combined has 56 of the Blues’ 132 total points on the season, and each of them has already had a hat trick this year. If this production continues, the team is certainly going to have to consider giving them more time against the opponents’ top lines.
Even if Lehtera’s production slows down a bit, he’s still making a great case that he is a serious upgrade over the players he replaced from last season’s Blues roster. Through 16 games, Lehtera already has 17 points, which puts him on pace to seriously outdo Vladimir Sobotka’s 33 points over 61 games and Derek Roy’s 37 over 75. He’s also showing similar efficiency to Sobotka in the face-off circle.
Lehtera and his teammates will have a chance to continue their hot streak on Tuesday evening, when they face the Bruins in Boston.