Who made it to the NHL All-Star game and how – NHL Special Part III
continued from http://www.senore.com/Who-made-it-to-the-NHL-All-Star-game-and-how-NHL-Special-Part-II-a125819
Phil Kessel (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Toronto Maple Leafs' forward, Phil Kessel will play his first All-Star game after a huge season in front of goal.
Kessel has been the one bright spot in Leafs' offence that has struggled to win with consistency this season.
Toronto has failed to take advantage of open opportunities to move into the playoff spot as they lie ninth in the Eastern Conference.
Kessel has scored 26 goals while assisting for a further 25, to keep his team in playoff contention.
The veteran forward has 51 points from 49 games this season.
Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins)
To find someone to take the place of Penguins' captain, Sidney Crosby, is next to impossible, but Penguins have a ready-made answer to take over the goal scoring burden.
With Crosby out for a long term, Evgeni Malkin has taken over the mantle of scoring and his 26 goals plus 32 assists has seen the forward named to play his fourth NHL All-Star game.
Malkin has 58 points this season and is one of the most dangerous forwards in NHL.
Milan Michalek (Ottawa Senators)
The Czech international is one of the five Ottawa Senators' players to make it to the 2012 All-Star game. Michalek got 743,977 votes from fans.
The 27-year-old will play his first All-Star game this season after scoring 23 goals and making nine assists for a total of 32 points.
James Neal (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Neal is just in his third season in NHL but his performances are like those of a grizzled experienced veteran.
The forward will be playing his first All-Star game appearance this weekend after scoring 27 goals and making 20 assists for a total of 47 points.
Neal’s brilliance is just overtaken by Malkin’s form in front of goal and he has played a big part in Penguins' revival after the injury to veteran captain, Sidney Crosby.
Corey Perry (Anaheim Ducks)
Perry is the only representative of the resurgent Anaheim Ducks in this year’s All-Star game. This will be the third time the right winger has been named for the All-Star game, with previous appearances in 2009 and 2011.
This season Perry has scored 22 goals and made a further 17 assists to raise Ducks back from the brink, after what looked like Ducks' worst season in the franchise’s history.
Jason Pominville (Buffalo Sabres)
Surprisingly for a team whose form is one of the worst in the NHL, Buffalo Sabres has two players in the All-Star game roster.
The 29-year-old Sabres' forward, Jason Pominville has been brilliant for his team, even though the team has not been playing too well.
Pominville scored 17 goals this season and made a further 30 assists for a total of 47 points. He has been named in the All-Star roster for the first time.
Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin (Vancouver Canucks)
The two Canucks' twins have both hit a rich vein of form as the high flying Canucks powered their way to second in Western Conference.
Daniel will be playing his second All-Star game while his brother, Henrik has more experience in the exhibition match with two prior appearances.
Daniel Sedin, who plays at left wing for Vancouver Canucks, has scored 21 goals this season and made 30 assists for a total of 51 points.
His brother, Henrik Sedin prefers the role of centre in the Canucks' line-up and has scored 11 times, while notching up a mammoth 41 assists.
to be continued...
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