ST PAUL, Minn. — In a not-so-surprising announcement, Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov has been selected to his first NHL All-Star Game.
The teams were announced Thursday evening with Kaprizov being chosen as well as Wild goalie Cam Talbot. The game is slated for Saturday, Feb. 5 at T-Mobile Arena, the home of the Vegas Golden Knights.
The All-Star Game will actually consist of a three-game, tournament-style format, with each division fielding a team. The games will also be 3-on-3, rather than 5-on-5.
The NHL didn't have an All-Star Game last season due to COVID-19, so this was Kaprizov's first chance to be selected. With that chance, he's compiled a team-leading 40 points, which is tied for seventh-most in the league. He's also scored 14 goals, one behind team leader Ryan Hartman.
Since joining the Wild last season, Kaprizov has 94 points in 94 games, including playoffs. He's scored 43 goals in that span, including goals in each of his past four games.
For Talbot, who has missed the last two games with a lower-body injury, this is also his first time being selected for the All-Star Game. This season he's 15-8-1 with a 3.00 goals-against average and has stopped nearly 91% of the shots he's faced.
The Minnesota Wild (21-10-2) host the Anaheim Ducks on Friday in what is expected to be Kaprizov's first game back since getting injured in a game last week in Boston.
Watch more of Minnesota sports:
Watch the latest sports videos - from high school hockey to the Minnesota Vikings and everything in between - in our YouTube playlist:
