Golden Knights’ Max Pacioretty selected for 1st All-Star Game

Max Pacioretty didn’t need to capture the popular vote to make the NHL All-Star Game.

The Golden Knights’ leading scorer was added to the Pacific Division team by the league Friday as the replacement for Anaheim’s Jakob Silfverberg.

Silfverberg was excused from the Jan. 24-25 event in St. Louis for the impending birth of his child.

Pacioretty, 31, will be making his first All-Star Game appearance. He tops the Knights with 45 points in 47 games and reached the 20-goal plateau for the seventh time in his 12-year career in Thursday’s 5-2 loss to Los Angeles.

“I felt maybe some time in my career (I) probably should’ve been there, but if it happens or not, either way I can’t control what happens,” Pacioretty said this week. “I’m just worrying about the team and contributing, and I feel happy about my play this season.”

Pacioretty was part of the “Last Men In” voting that ended Friday but is the Knights’ lone on-ice representative regardless of the outcome.

Coach Gerard Gallant was selected to lead the Pacific Division squad by virtue of the Knights being in first place on points percentage at the season’s midway point.

Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury previously announced he will not attend after being selected for the fifth time in his career.

“Max has had a great season, for sure,” Gallant said Thursday. “He well deserves it.”

Merrill’s magnificent mullet

The NHL’s official Twitter account conducted a poll asking whether Jon Merrill or Cody Eakin had the better mullet, and Merrill won in a landslide with 69 percent of the nearly 6,000 votes.

“I think I’ve got a little bit better curl in the back,” Merrill said. “Hockey and hair go hand in hand. To have good hair like this, I’m very blessed.”

However, Merrill said he isn’t going to dethrone William Karlsson for the crown of best hair on the team. Karlsson was voted to have the third-best hair in the NHL in last year’s NHL Players Association poll.

“He’s got good hair in his own way. But we’re a completely different style,” Merrill said. “He’s got that model, suave look. Mine’s more trashy, blue-collar.”

No change for Marchessault

Left wing Jonathan Marchessault (lower body) did not practice Friday and is expected to be a game-time decision Saturday against Columbus.

Marchessault missed the past four games and remains day to day, according to Gallant. He had six goals and nine points in the nine games before the injury.

“He was playing his best hockey before he got hurt,” Gallant said. “It’s nothing serious. It’s just sort of a day-to-day lingering. Hopefully he’ll be ready (Saturday), but I’m not sure.”

Roster move

The Knights on Friday swapped forwards with their AHL affiliate in Chicago, sending Nicolas Roy to the Wolves and promoting Keegan Kolesar.

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.