Two of the most popular Preds are heading to the West Coast for the 2019 NHL All-Star Weekend.
Predators Captain Roman Josi and goaltender Pekka Rinne have been named 2019 NHL All-Stars by the League, giving the Predators two participants in the mid-season event set for Jan. 25-26 in San Jose, California.
Both Rinne and Josi have played integral roles in guiding the Predators to the 50-point mark through 41 games this season, and now they’ll get yet another chance to make Nashville proud on a national stage.
For the defending Vezina Trophy winner as the League’s top goaltender, it’s the fourth All-Star selection overall, all of which have come in the past five seasons. Rinne’s first came in 2015, but he did not participate due to injury. Since then, he’s only missed out on the 2017 version, consistently slotting among the top netminders in the game as he gets older.
Now 36, Rinne is having another Vezina-like season thus far, tied for first in goals-against average (2.25), tied for seventh in wins (15) and eighth in save percentage (.920) among goalies who have played at least 20 games at the start of the new year.
Josi will be making his second NHL All-Star appearance, the first of which came in 2016 when Nashville hosted the festivities. Josi has tallied 18 points – two goals and 16 assists – in his last 23 games, and he sits second on the Preds and first among team defensemen in points with 29 (7g-22a).
Entering action on New Year’s Day, Josi was tied for sixth in goals (7), tied for ninth in points (29) and tied for 11th in assists (22) among all League blueliners.
The 2019 NHL All-Star Weekend will once again consist of a three-game tournament, played in a 3-on-3 format, featuring four teams – one for each NHL division.
The head coach of the NHL team with the highest points percentage (points earned divided by total possible points) in each of the four divisions at the halfway point of the regular season will guide the respective All-Star rosters.
The 2019 NHL All-Star Skills will take place on Friday, Jan. 25 at 8 p.m. CT on NBCSN, and the 2019 NHL All-Star Game commences on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. CT on NBC.
More information on 2019 NHL All-Star Weekend will be available in the days and weeks to come, and be sure to stay tuned to NashvillePredators.com for full coverage from San Jose.
