Letang Needs Votes To Make All-Star Game

So far, Sidney Crosby is the Pittsburgh Penguins’ lone representative for the NHL All-Star Game, but defenseman Kris Letang has a chance to join the team captain for the star-studded weekend Jan. 25-26 in San Jose.

Letang is the Penguins’ candidate in a “Last Men In” promotion where fans vote to elect the final player from each division. Crosby was among those officially named, and the only Penguin, Wednesday evening to represent the Metropolitan Division.

Beginning Thursday at noon Eastern, fans can vote for the “Last Men In” at www.nhl.com/vote or on the NHL app. Each fan can vote up to 10 times a day through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 10. Fans can vote for between one and four players per ballot.

(The page is currently closed–but click here for the link to vote)

Letang’s competition for the Metropolitan’s final All-Star spot is Carolina’s Teuvo Teravainen, Columbus’ Nick Foligno, New Jersey’s Kyle Palmieri, the Islanders’ Anders Lee, the Rangers’ Mats Zuccarello, Philadelphia’s Jakub Voracek, and Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom.

Letang, 31, has been named to the All-Star game four times. This season, he is having a strong bounce-back season after being hindered in 2017-18 beacause of neck disk surgery. Going into Wednesday’s games, Letang ranked sixth in the league among defensemen with 33 points — eight goals, 25 assists.

Should Letang win the vote and be added to the Metropolitan Division All-Star roster, he will tie a franchise record for such appearances by a defenseman. Paul Coffey went five times.

The All-Star Game actually will use a three-on-three tournament format.