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Photo Credit: © Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

All-Star Game Recap: Pacific Domination

| Christian Pagnani

The NHL All-Star Game is back with another 3-on-3 tournament. The Pacific Division played the Central while the Metropolitan faced the Atlantic. We got the biggest stars in the game, offside challenges, and a bunch of goals. What more could you want?

Highlights

Brad Marchand blows kisses while getting booed during his entrance. Marchand makes some suspect on-ice decisions, but this is just fun. It’s a little weird to see a suspended player at the All-Star Game but the NHL needs more to take it less seriously. I like it.

Pacific vs. Central

The Pacific Division defeats the Central with a 5-2 victory, despite looking like hockey’s Cleveland Browns with those unique orange and white jerseys.

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Connor McDavid sends Drew Doughty out on a breakaway and he ties the game. It’s a little odd to see an Oiler and a King connect for a goal.

Connor McDavid and James Neal. Doesn’t that sound nice! Oh, Neal is a free agent this summer too? And they train together in the summer? And the Oilers right wing is a disaster. Huh. Interesting.

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Brock Boeser is ridiculous. I know he has an unreal shooting percentage but he’s too good not to be one of those high-percentage shooters.

Metropolitan vs. Atlantic

The Atlantic defeats the Metropolitan division 7-4 with a hat-trick from Nikita Kucherov.

Alex Ovechkin feeds Sidney Crosby to put the Metropolitan division up 1-0 after the Atlantic spent an extended period of time in the offensive zone.

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After a goal called back, Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews give the ‘good goal’ signal after an Eichel scores. Awesome.

Give me Nikita Kucherov and Jack Eichel together forever.

Kucherov leads the NHL in scoring? Yeah, that makes sense.

Pacific vs. Atlantic

The Pacific division is victorious again with a 5-2 win over the Atlantic.

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Anze Kopitar attempts the Forsberg move but can’t finish. Rickard Rakell cleans up the rebound to give the Pacific the lead.

Future trade deadline-target Mike Green ties the game for the Atlantic. Pump that trade value up, Mike.

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Johnny Gaudreau scores to give the Pacific a 4-1 lead while some thread from Jack Eichel’s equipment hangs on him. Strange.

Mike Smith denies Steven Stamkos and throws up a “no-goal” sign mirroring Eichel against the Metropolitan.

Rickard Rakell’s second goal of the game is just filthy. Rakell might be one the NHL’s most underrated scorers.

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Thoughts…

  • 3-on-3 is a way better format for the All-Star game than a full squad. It’s much more entertaining and players don’t half to go all out for the game to be half decent. They’ll never give 100% in an All-Star game, even with a million on the line, but the extra ice allows star players to fool around more.
  • Those jerseys are sweet. Sure, the Pacific all-white design looks a little odd on the ice but these are solid. It’s hard to create four jerseys that don’t resemble a team in the NHL. Those Atlantic jerseys are slick.
  • Connor McDavid in 3-on-3 is borderline unfair.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning are good and Victor Hedman isn’t even here. They’re going to be scary and they could still add players at the deadline.
  • Erik Karlsson sure looks good with real talent around him.
  • Brock Boeser wins MVP. His shot is incredible. He’s already fifth in goals for the 2015 draft while playing almost one-third of the games as everyone else in the top five. There’s not many reasons to watch a Vancouver Canucks game. Brock Boeser might be the only one.

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