Goalie Henrik Lundqvist, defenseman Dan Girardi, and forward Marion Gaborik will represent the New York Rangers in the 59th NHL All Star Game, to be played Sunday at 4 p.m. ET. The game will be held in Ottawa, and can be seen on NBC Sports.
The New York Islanders will be represented by center John Tavares, who has 20 goals and 29 assists this season. He will play for Team Alfredsson. There are no members of the New Jersey Devils participating for either team.
Lundqvist was anointed the assistant captain to Daniel Alfredsson, and their squad will counter Team Chara. Alfredsson and Chara hand picked their rosters during Thursday night's Fantasy Player Draft, and the Rangers goalie will be joined by his dependable blue-liner Girardi. Gaborik, meanwhile, will play for Team Chara after being selected in the 16th round. This is the second year that the NHL has implemented a player draft format for the All Star game.
The three Rangers All-Stars have played a major role in New York's turnaround season; Lundqvist is a Vezina Trophy candidate, Girardi the leader of the league's second stingiest defense, and Gaborik the team's leading scorer with 39 points.
The Rangers lead Boston by two points in the Eastern Conference standings, and trail only Detroit for the overall league lead.