The 2023 National Hockey League All-Star Game is taking place Saturday. Unfortunately, due to injury, three players will be unable to participate. They are Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews of San Ramon, California (knee), Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson of Phoenix, Arizona (upper body) and Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers of Hingham, Massachusetts (upper body).
Auston Matthews
In 47 games, Matthews had 25 goals and 28 assists for 53 points. He was a +19 with 16 penalty minutes, 18 power-play points, four game-winning goals, 200 shots on goal, 351 faceoff wins, 63 blocked shots, 60 hits, 44 takeaways, and 40 giveaways. This was to be Matthews’s sixth All-Star Game as he was selected in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023.
Tage Thompson
In 50 games, Thompson had 34 goals and 34 assists for 68 points. He was a +15 with 24 penalty minutes, 25 power-play points, one shorthanded point, six game-winning goals, 200 shots on goal, 241 faceoff wins, 17 blocked shots, 24 hits, 28 takeaways, and 22 giveaways. Thompson’s 68 points are the fifth most in the NHL. This was Thompson’s first All-Star selection.
Matty Beniers
In 47 games, Beniers, a Calder Trophy candidate, has 17 goals and 19 assists for 36 points. He was a +8 with two penalty minutes, seven power-play points, three game-winning goals, 92 shots on goal, 256 faceoff wins, 35 blocked shots, 58 hits, 27 takeaways and 26 giveaways.
Three Replacements
Matthews’s replacement will be Florida Panthers’ captain Aleksander Barkov of Tampere, Finland. In 42 games, Barkov has 14 goals and 33 assists for 47 points. He is a +6 with two penalty minutes. 21 power-play points, one shorthanded point, three game-winning goals, 125 shots on goal, 532 faceoff wins, 30 blocked shots, 26 hits, 30 takeaways and 23 giveaways.
Thompson’s replacement will be Buffalo Sabres’s defenseman Rasmus Dahlin of Lidkoping, Sweden. In 49 games, Dahlin has 14 goals and 21 assists for 35 points. He is a +19 with 64 penalty minutes, 24 power-play points, two game-winning goals, 142 shots on goal, 87 blocked shots, 66 hits, 28 takeaways, and 43 giveaways. Dahlin is the only defenseman from the Atlantic Division.
Beniers’ replacement is Vegas Golden Knights center Chandler Stephenson of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. In 51 games, Stephenson has 11 goals and 33 assists for 44 points. He is a +6 with 16 penalty minutes, 12 power-play points, three shorthanded points, four game-winning goals, 74 shots on goal, 452 faceoff wins, 35 blocked shots, 58 hits, 40 takeaways, and 18 giveaways.
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