Buffalo’s Zemgus Girgensons zooms to top of NHL all-star fan voting list

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Move over, Sid. Step aside, P.K.

There’s a new leading vote-getter in the 2015 NHL all-star fan vote and it’s not one of the usual names. Buffalo Sabres centre Zemgus Girgensons zoomed to the top of the overall leaderboard Tuesday with a whopping 399,356 votes, the NHL said in a release.

Subban, the Montreal Canadiens’ star defenceman, led all blue-liners but fell to second overall with 240,362 votes. Teammate Carey Price led all netminders with 204,923 votes.

Girgensons, a 20-year-old Riga native, had 13 points in 24 games entering play Tuesday night.

After the first week of voting via the NHL’s website and app, Girgensons was a distant 22nd among forwards with 21,059 votes — about one-quarter of Crosby’s first-week total (87,858). Crosby, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ captain, dropped to second among forwards and fourth overall with 218,672 votes.

Voting concludes Jan. 1, with the top six vote-getters by position — three forwards, two defencemen and one goaltender — locking up spots in the Jan. 25 all-star game in Columbus.

Girgensons was selected by the Sabres with the 14th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. The six-foot-one 190-pounder played five games for Latvia at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Entering play Tuesday, the 8-14-2 Sabres were 14th in the 16-team Eastern Conference with 18 points.