Chiller Instinct would like to acknowledge Henrik Lundqvist, goaltender for the New York Rangers, as the Primetime Performer for the final month of 2009. 

Lundqvist garnered the nod for the first star in two of his games, was the second star in another, and kept his team alive in the other two primetime matches during December. Posting a 2-2-1 record might not seem to lofty - but 'King' Lundqvist was instrumental in all his contests; he allowed 11 goals on 159 shots (.931 save percentage) and no more than 3 in any of the five games.

On 5 December he outdueled stellar Sabres' netminder Ryan Millerin a 2-1 victory in Buffalo, only to return home to face the reigning Western Conference Champion Red Wings the very next evening. Lundqvist was bested by rookie Jimmy Howard on the occasion, allowing 3 goals on 31 shots but earning the second star, as Detroit triumphed 3-1. The following weekend Miller and the Sabres provided a rematch, in which Lundqvist took the loss on a 29 save performance on 32 shots, 3-2.

On 19 December in Philadelphia, Lundqvist was superb allowing one goal on 37 shots to beat the Flyers 2-1 and was named the first star. Afterwards Lundqvist was quoted as saying, "The games in Philadelphia are always intense every time we come in here, we're playing a lot of teams in the same spot as we are this week -- desperate teams. So it's important that we match that desperation and that energy and I think we were a little more desperate than (the Flyers)."

On Boxing Day, Lundqvist was beaten with just 47 seconds left in overtime on a deflection off of his defenseman Marc Staal's stick (credited to Kyle Okposo), as the Islanders handed their cross-town rivals the 3-2 decision.

At the conclusion of the calendar year of 2009, Lundqvist sits 12 among goaltenders in save percentage (.920) and goals-against average (2.44). However, only Craig Anderson (Colorado, 1027) and Evgeni Nabokov (San Jose, 989) have faced more shots than Lundqvist's 969 total. The Rangers would surely be worse than holding onto the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and 19th overall if Lundqvist was not between the pipes on Broadway this season.

*Wojtek Wolski of the Colorado Avalanche receives honourable mention.

As for the team totals, The high-water mark was set by the Blackhawks, who came together in a large way, with only Patrick Kane mustering 10 or more points and totaled a combined 46 points. Goaltender Antti Niemi played his backup role well (with a first and second star), and nine others drove the powerhouse Chicago lineup. Vancouver (40 points) and Colorado (38) also had strong months.

The Florida Panthers (8 total), Edmonton Oilers (8), Dallas Stars (8), and Calgary Flames (8) have the tarnished distinction of being runner-up to the woeful Columbus Blue Jackets' lowly six (yes, 6) total points as a team during the primetime of December 2009.

1 January 2010 / Robin Keith Thompson

The entire tally/totals sheet can be viewed here

Source(s): www.nhl.com articles, statistics, and schedule.