Buffalo Sabres' Zemgus Girgensons (28), of Latvia, celebrates his third period goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning in an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014, in Buffalo, N.Y. Girgensons is skating away with the NHL all-star game fan vote. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP Photo/Jen Fuller
Republished December 09, 2014 - 1:11 PM
Original Publication Date December 09, 2014 - 12:40 PM
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Buffalo Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons is skating away with the NHL All-Star game fan vote.
As of Tuesday, the second-year player has a league-leading 803,805 votes — double what he had a week ago. And Girgensons' total is more than the combined number of votes cast for the next two forwards: Chicago stars Patrick Kane (375,758) and Jonathan Toews (367,692).
Girgensons credits his popularity to his Latvian fans back home. He leads Buffalo with eight goals but has only 14 points, well behind the NHL-leading 35 points shared by Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Dallas' Tyler Seguin.
The only limit on voting is fans can use the same device no more than 10 times a day.
Other top vote-getters per position are defencemen Duncan Keith of Chicago and Montreal's P.K. Subban, and Chicago goalie Corey Crawford.
Voting ends Jan. 1.
The All-Star game will be played at Columbus, Ohio, on Jan. 25.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014