NHL All-Star Game: Metropolitan vs. Atlantic
The NHL decided to change the format for the 2016 All-Star Game on Sunday in Nashville, Tenn., and its quick fix resulted in a 3-on-3 tournament featuring 44 players among the four divisions - with the winning team splitting $1 million. The semifinals pit the Metropolitan versus the Atlantic and the Central against the Pacific in a pair of 20-minute games in which the teams switch ends after 10 minutes, with the winners returning for a 20-minute championship.
The Eastern Conference prevailed in the Skills Competition on Saturday, giving it the right to choose to play the first semifinal Sunday so the winning division rests while the Western teams compete in the second semifinal. The Central Division appears to have the edge as it possesses the NHL's top three scorers in Chicago's Patrick Kane (73 points, league-high 30 goals), who was voted captain, and Dallas teammates Jamie Benn (58) and Tyler Seguin (53).
TV: 5 p.m. ET, NBCSN
ABOUT THE METROPOLITAN DIVISION: Washington's Alex Ovechkin (28 goals - tied for second in NHL) will not play because of a lower-body injury and was replaced by Capitals teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov while the New York Islanders' John Tavares took over as team captain. Washington (league-best 74 points) also is represented by premier playmaker Nicklas Backstrom and Vezina Trophy favorite Braden Holtby (30-5-3, .929 save percentage). With offensive-minded defensemen littering the four teams, the Metropolitan sports a different look with stay-at-home type Ryan McDonagh of the New York Rangers.
ABOUT THE ATLANTIC DIVISION: While the Atlantic doesn't possess the scoring power as some of the other divisions, it does have the oldest player (43-year-old team captain Jaromir Jagr of Florida) and the youngest (19-year-old rookie Dylan Larkin of Detroit). The club also has a pair of two-way forwards and two of the NHL's top faceoff men in Boston's Patrice Bergeron and Buffalo's Ryan O'Reilly, who could make a difference in the offense-friendly format. Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos (21 goals) is the Atlantic's top goal scorer while Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson is fourth in the league with 52 points.