Central Division vs. Pacific Division
The 64th NHL All-Star Game is set for Saturday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., and the Pacific Division - with three Sharks - will be circling as they try for their third victory in four tries since the 3-on-3 format was implemented. San Jose will be represented by center Joe Pavelski, who is on pace to record a career-high 43 goals, and offensive-minded defensemen Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson, with the latter out of regular-season action (lower body) but expected to participate.
"I'm proud that we've got three guys," Sharks general manager Doug Wilson told reporters. "We could probably have four or five guys. But I think it's an event that our fans get to see the great players in this league, and they deserve that." The star power is strong in all divisions but the Metropolitan will be without Washington's Alex Ovechkin (league-leading 37 goals), who announced earlier this month that he will not play and will face an NHL-mandated one-game suspension for the Capitals first game back from the break. Each division uses nine skaters and two goaltenders in a single-elimination tournament that was won by the Pacific in 2016 and 2018, and the Metropolitan in 2017. The Central meets the Pacific in the first 20-minute semifinal followed by the Metropolitan against the Atlantic, with the winning divisions playing another 20 minutes for a winner-take-all $1 million.
TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, Sportsnet, TVA
ABOUT THE CENTRAL DIVISION: Colorado's Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog, who form the NHL's most prolific line with 79 goals and 199 points, were three of the seven forwards selected but MacKinnon will not play because of a foot injury. No replacement was immediately named but it could be a defenseman seeing as coach Paul Maurice had only two blueliners at his disposal before MacKinnon's defection. Maurice will also have two of his own players - Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler - along with Chicago's Patrick Kane, who are among the top 12 in the league in points with Kane tied for fifth in goals with 29.
ABOUT THE PACIFIC DIVISION: Edmonton's Connor McDavid, the two-time reigning Art Ross Trophy winner, leads a potent unit that boasts four of the top 11 in points while Burns leads all defensemen with 46 assists and 55 points. McDavid and Calgary's Johnny Gaudreau are tied for third with 73 points while the Oilers' Leon Draisaitl and the Flames' Sean Monahan - McDavid and Gaudreau's linemates - are tied for ninth (61). Calgary coach Bill Peters' club also boasts runaway Calder Trophy favorite Elias Pettersson of Vancouver plus goaltenders John Gibson and Marc-Andre Fleury, who are 1-2 in the league in saves by a wide margin.