Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson and goaltender Braden Holtby will play in the NHL All-Star Game.
It will be Carlson’s All-Star debut and Holtby’s fourth straight year playing in the game.
Carlson and Holtby will suit up for the Metropolitan Division. The game will be Jan. 26 in San Jose, California.
Carlson has six goals and 32 assists so far this season; his 38 points is tied for third among all defensemen in the league. He’s had more multi-point games (13) and more primary assists (22) than any NHL defenseman. He also led all blueliners in points last season (68).
In 27 games this year, Holtby has a 15-9-2 record, a 2.84 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage.
Wednesday evening’s news comes hours after the announcement that Alex Ovechkin will skip this year’s All-Star Game despite being voted captain of the Metro team for the second straight year. Ovechkin is planning to take full advantage of the Capitals’ bye week instead, and he will have to miss one regular season game as well in accordance with league policies.
The full Metro Division roster is as follows:
Forwards: Sebastian Aho (Hurricanes), Cam Atkinson (Blue Jackets), Mathew Barzal (Islanders), Sidney Crosby (Penguins), Claude Giroux (Flyers), Taylor Hall (Devils)
Defensemen: John Carlson (Capitals), Seth Jones (Blue Jackets)
Goaltenders: Braden Holtby (Capitals), Henrik Lundqvist (Rangers)
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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