NHL News: Steven Stamkos & Connor McDavid Leading NHL All-Star Game Votes Early
Early voting results are in for the 2018 NHL All-Star Game and some of the sport’s top stars are contenders for spots as captains on the rosters. Among them are the Edmonton Oilers’ center Connor McDavid and Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos. The two players are among those that are leading the fan votes so far to determine the four captains for the annual All-Star Game in Tampa, Florida, next month. Here’s a look at who else is receiving votes ahead of the star-powered contest.
As reported earlier today by the NHL website, McDavid of the Oilers currently has the most votes among Pacific Division players with 24.42 percent, while Stamkos has 22 percent of Atlantic Division votes. In the Metropolitan Division, it’s the Washington Capitals’ Alexander Ovechkin with 19.64 percent of votes. Defenseman P.K. Subban of the Nashville Predators has 13.6 percent of all votes in the Central Division to lead there. The voting in Subban’s division looks to be the tightest of all divisions so far. In second-place is Vladimir Tarasenko of the St. Louis Blues at 11.59 percent followed by Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane with 10.24 percent of the votes.
Right now, Stamkos is among the top offensive stars in the league along with teammate Nikita Kucherov. Each of the two players has racked up 42 points on the season. That has them tied for the league-lead in points as the Lightning continue their campaign to reach the playoffs and possibly hoist the Stanley Cup. In terms of goals scored, Alex Ovechkin is in a tie with Kucherov for 21 this season.
For his NHL season, the Oilers’ Conor McDavid has tallied 27 assists and 12 goals for 39 points. He currently ranks fourth in the league in points achieved per game with 1.26. That trails Stamkos and Kucherov, who are tied with the Montreal Canadiens’ Daniel Carr for first place with 1.4 points per game.
Connor McDavid makes a compelling case. Here are 3 reasons @cmcdavid97 could be headed to Tampa. Does he have your #NHLAllStar vote?
Vote now: https://t.co/5y1Xnu4jFL https://t.co/xwKJprp91S
— NHL (@NHL) December 13, 2017
The voting for the players will continue through January 1 with the top vote-getter in each of the NHL’s divisions being awarded a spot as a captain on the rosters. The NHL All-Star Game for 2018 is slated for January 28 at the Amelie Center in Tampa, Florida, home to the Lightning.
