Jeff Carter named the first star of the week; All-Star Game format

Center Jeff Carter, who was named the first star for three consecutive games and by virtue of his three game-winners now has five game-winning goals – two more than any other skater – was named the NHL’s first star of the week. This is the first time a King has been named the league’s first star since Jonathan Quick was honored for the week ending January 4, 2016, and the first time Carter has claimed the first star since October 27, 2014.

Carolina goalie Cam Ward was named the second star, while Washington center Nicklas Backstrom took home third star.

Carter’s four-game, six-point week culminated with a two-goal, three-point performance in a 3-2 road win over the rival Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.

From the NHL’s release:

Carter paced the NHL with three game-winning tallies – and also tied for the League lead with four total goals (4-2—6) – in four outings to propel the Kings (10-9-1, 21 points) into a share of first place, in terms of points, in the Pacific Division. After being held off the scoresheet in a 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche Nov. 15, Carter scored the decisive goal in three consecutive outings: a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers Nov. 17 (1-1—2), a 4-2 win over the New Jersey Devils Nov. 19 and a 3-2 triumph over the Anaheim Ducks Nov. 20 (2-1—3). In doing so, he became the first Kings player to record the winning goal in three straight team games since Dec. 2-9, 2010 (Anze Kopitar). The 31-year-old London, Ont., native – who eclipsed 600 career points Sunday (316-285—601 in 815 GP) – leads the NHL with five game-winning goals and ranks first on Los Angeles with 9-8—17 in 20 contests this season.

After a grueling stretch of eight games in 13 days, the Kings’ schedule eases up over the next nine, with home games Wednesday against the Islanders and Saturday against the Blackhawks before a visit by the Sharks the following Wednesday.

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Via the NHL, details of the NHL All-Star Game format and fan voting are below. The event will be held the weekend of January 28-29 at Staples Center.

The 2017 Honda NHL® All-Star Game will once again feature the NHL All-Star Fan Vote™ and the 3-on-3 All-Star Tournament, showcasing the NHL’s most talented star players from each division, the National Hockey League (NHL®) and National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) announced today. Hockey fans again will determine the four All-Star captains in the 2017 NHL All-Star Fan Vote™, with the top vote-getters by division – regardless of position – named All-Stars and captains. The remaining 40 NHL All-Stars will be named by NHL Hockey Operations.

Introduced at last year’s NHL All-Star Game in Nashville, the All-Star Tournament will feature three 20-minute games, with star players from each Division making up the four All-Star teams: Pacific, Central, Atlantic, and Metropolitan. Each team will be made up of 11 players from each Division: six forwards, three defensemen and two goaltenders.

Player eligibility guidelines for the 2017 NHL All-Star Fan Vote™:

The 2017 NHL All-Star Fan Vote will allow fans to vote for one All-Star player from each Division, without regard to position. The top vote-getter from each Division will be named an NHL All-Star, as well as Captain of his respective team.

Eligible players must be on an NHL Club’s active roster as of Nov. 1. Any player not on the active roster on that date due to injury or special circumstances can be added to the ballot if / when he returns to the NHL Club’s active roster.

If a player is assigned / loaned to the American Hockey League (AHL) or any other minor league team between Nov. 1 and 5 p.m. ET on Jan. 26, the player is not eligible in All-Star balloting. However, if the minor league assignment / loan is due to conditioning reasons, the player remains eligible.

In the event a vote leader is disqualified due to a minor league assignment or loan (or other reason) after close of the NHL All-Star Fan Vote on Jan. 2, the player with the second-most votes in that division will be named captain.

Fans will be permitted to vote for a player from a list of all players that meet these eligibility guidelines. The list of eligible players will be updated as players are assigned to a minor league team or return from IR.

The 2017 NHL All-Star celebration also will include the 2017 NHL All-Star Skills Competition™ on Saturday, Jan. 28, and the 2017 NHL All-Star Tournament on Sunday, Jan. 29.

The 2017 NHL All-Star Fan Vote™ begins Dec. 1. Additional details will be announced in the coming weeks.