Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson has been named the NHL’s Second Star for the month of March, it was announced today.
In a crucial 17-game month where the Penguins were without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for 10 and nine games, respectively, Karlsson led the team to earn points in 11 of 17 games (8-6-3) to remain in second place in the Metropolitan Division.
Karlsson recorded nine goals, 15 assists and 24 points through 17 games in March, leading all defensemen in each category while ranking second across the entire NHL in points, trailing only Nikita Kucherov’s 26. Karlsson’s 24 points is the second-highest point total in a single month by a Penguins defenseman in franchise history after Paul Coffey recorded 28 points (6G-22A) in February 1990.
Karlsson recorded nine multi-point games in March, marking the second-most multi-point games by a defenseman in a single month in NHL history, only one back of Bobby Orr’s NHL-record 10 in December 1974. Karlsson recorded more multi-point games (9) than scoreless games (6) in March. His multi-point game total included four three-point outings, including three-consecutive three-point games on the road from Mar. 16-26. He became just the seventh defenseman in NHL history to record three-plus points in three-straight road games.
The blueliner has scored nine goals since March 1, which ranks second on the Penguins (Rickard Rakell, 10) and eighth in the entire league in that span. Karlsson’s nine goals are the most he has ever scored in a single month and he became the first defenseman in franchise history to score seven goals in a seven-game span from Mar. 16-28.
