Blues' Tarasenko earns second straight All-Star selection
Vladimir Tarasenko, the St. Louis Blues' only consistent goal scorer this season, is headed back to the NHL All-Star Game.
The league announced the All-Star squads Wednesday. Tarasenko, who will appear in his second consecutive All-Star Game, will join a Central Division team that also includes Jamie Benn (Dallas), Matt Duchene (Colorado), Patrick Kane (Chicago), Tyler Seguin (Dallas), Jonathan Toews (Chicago), Dustin Byfuglien (Winnipeg), Roman Josi (Nashville), Shea Weber (Nashville), Devan Dubnyk (Minnesota) and Pekka Rinne (Nashville).
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The All-Star festivities will begin with the Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition on Jan. 30 and culminate with the NHL All-Star Game on Jan. 31 at 4 p.m. at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
Tarasenko, 24, shares second overall with 23 goals and fifth overall with 41 points through 40 games this season. In addition, the 6-foot, 228-pound forward ranks sixth in shots on goal (150), shares 11th in game-winning goals (4) and shares fifth in power-play goals (8), while he is one of just three players to have scored in at least five consecutive games this season.
The Yaroslavl, Russia, native is coming off a career year in 2014-15, when he netted a career-high 37 goals and 73 points overall. Since the beginning of the 2014-15 regular season and including the 2015 postseason, Tarasenko ranks third overall with 66 goals and shares fifth with 121 total points.
Tarasenko is the first Blues forward to be named to consecutive All-Star Games since Pavol Demitra in 1999 and 2000.
