It was a bit sad when Kyle Palmieri didn’t win the “Last Man In” competition, but the New Jersey Devils’ leading scorer has been named to the 2019 NHL All-Star game anyway. Palmieri will replace the injured Taylor Hall.
The injured Hall, the Devils leading scorer, is better than a point per game this season before his injury. He was named as the New Jersey Devils representative when the initial rosters were announced. Hall’s injury forces him to miss the festivities, but Palmieri is more than deserving of the honor.
With Hall missing significant time, Kyle Palmieri has taken over the team lead in points. He has 22 goals and 16 assists for 38 points so far this season. Those 22 goals are on pace to break his career high of 30. Palmieri is having an excellent season.
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It is not ideal to be missing Taylor Hall from the Devils’ lineup, or even seeing him not being surrounded by the best players in the NHL because he is finally starting to be considered among the best in the world. Him winning the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP and being named to his fourth straight all star game (this will be the second missed due to injury) would be proof of that.
So what does this mean for Kyle Palmieri? A trip to San Jose Sharks home SAP Center to participate in the NHL Skills Competition and All Star Game. He will represent the Devils as part of team Metropolitan Division. He plays with Hall on the Devils top line so superstar teammates surrounding him, like Sidney Crosby for example, will certainly be fun for Kyle Palmieri.
This is Kyle Palmieri’s first appearance in the NHL All Star game, so you can believe that this will be a lifelong memory for him and his family. The skills competition takes place on Friday, January 25th and the the All Star Game is the following day, Saturday January 26th. Kyle will represent us all well.