Henrik Lundqvist, John Tavares and Taylor Hall have all secured a return trip to the NHL All-Star Game Wednesday, while Josh Bailey will join them as a first-timer.
All four were named to the Metropolitan Division team for the annual event set to be played on Jan. 28 in Tampa Bay.
It’s the fifth straight All-Star selection for Tavares, who leads the Islanders with 51 points, the fourth overall for Lundqvist, in the midst of a stellar season between the pipes for the Rangers, and the third consecutive for Hall, the Devils’ 42-point winger.
In the midst of a career year in his 10th NHL season — all with the Islanders — Bailey was rewarded after putting up 12 goals and 38 assists through his first 42 games. His status for the All-Star game is unknown, though, as he missed his first game of the year Sunday with a lower-body injury that coach Doug Weight said wasn’t “horrific news, but certainly not good news.”
For Lundqvist, it’s his first All-Star bid since going to his third consecutive showcase in 2012. The veteran has posted a 2.52 goals-against average and .924 save percentage in 35 games.
Tavares, meanwhile, has a teammate joining him for the first time since Jaroslav Halak made it with him in 2015. The captain is second on the Islanders in both goals (22) and assists (29).
And Hall, an alternate captain in his second season with the Devils, leads his team in points (42), goals (15) and assists (26) through 39 games.