SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Noah Dobson, Bo Horvat and Brock Nelson all had strong cases to go to All-Star weekend in Toronto.
But none of the three will be joining Mathew Barzal, who was confirmed as the only All-Star representative from the Islanders when the results of fan voting were released on Saturday night.
The results of the vote — with the game rosters decided by draft instead of by division — heavily favored Canadian teams, with Colorado’s Cale Makar being the only skater of the eight chosen by fans who does not play for the Maple Leafs, Canucks or Oilers.
Dobson is averaging over a point per game and nearly 26 minutes a night while Horvat is right behind, with 40 points in 41 games. Nelson, meanwhile, is set to make a run at 40 goals with 19 through 42 games.
But none of those cases were enough to overcome the simple fact that the Islanders’ fan base is relatively small in number.
Last season, when divisional rosters allowed for things to be a little more even, Ilya Sorokin was voted into the game to join Nelson, who had been selected by the league. Horvat, who was dealt to the Islanders right before All-Star weekend, was also there — having been selected as a Canuck.
Barzal was not among the initial 10 skaters to be selected for the skills competition, though two more spots will be decided via fan vote.
After Alexandre Carrier’s game-winner with 7.9 seconds left on Saturday, two of the four latest go-ahead goals allowed in franchise history by the Islanders have come against Nashville, per team statistician Eric Hornick. Eeli Tolvanen scored at 19:48 of the third to give the Predators a win at UBS Arena on Dec. 7, 2021.
The Islanders were scheduled to practice on Sunday but canceled, instead taking the day off in Saint Paul. Anders Lee, Brock Nelson and Hudson Fasching are all from Minnesota while Oliver Wahlstrom attended Shattuck St. Mary’s in Fairbault, Minn., for two seasons.
The Isles have lost five games in a row against the Wild, but Minnesota comes into Monday afternoon’s game on a 1-7-1 stretch after losing 6-0 at home to the Coyotes on Saturday, prompting a players-only meeting, per The Athletic.
