All-Star Game preview: Central at Pacific
The NHL All-Star Game endured a handful of format changes in its history - most resulting in a pedestrian game with little effort, especially on defense - but it appears to have found its niche by switching to a 3-on-3 game with a mini-tournament format among the four divisions. The rise in popularity also brought the contest back to network television for the first time since 2004 as NBC broadcasts the 2017 All-Star Game on Sunday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The semifinals - a pair of 20-minute games in which the teams switch ends after 10 minutes - pits the Central against the Pacific in the first and the Atlantic versus the Metropolitan in the second, with the winners returning to play a 20-minute championship with a $1 million winner-take-all prize at stake. The Atlantic earned the right to play when it wanted and to pick its semifinal opponent by winning the All-Star Game Skills Competition on Saturday night. The Pacific is the defending champion after defeating the Atlantic 1-0 in last year's final on a goal by Anaheim's Corey Perry after dispatching Central 9-6 in the semifinals while Atlantic reached the title game with a 4-3 semifinal victory. Columbus coach John Tortorella will miss the All-Star Game to tend to his sick dog and under NHL rules was forced to skip Thursday's game against Nashville because of his absence this weekend, but the league found a suitable replacement as Wayne Gretzky will coach the Metropolitan.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, NBC
ABOUT THE CENTRAL DIVISION: Nashville defenseman P.K. Subban captains a club with no shortage of speed as Chicago's Patrick Kane (49 points, tied for fifth in the NHL) leads the way. Winnipeg’s rookie sensation Patrik Laine, who has 22 goals despite missing eight games because of a concussion, and St. Louis' Vladimir Tarasenko (21 goals) are among the burners along with Dallas' Tyler Seguin (tied for eighth with Tarasenko at 47 points) and Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon. Subban is joined on the blue line by Chicago's Duncan Keith and Minnesota's Ryan Suter, while Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk leads the league with a 1.88 GAA and .936 SP.
ABOUT THE PACIFIC DIVISION: Edmonton's Connor McDavid leads the NHL with 59 points and serves as captain of a team that also boasts the league's top-scoring defenseman, co-second leading goal scorer and top Selke Award candidate as the best defensive forward. San Jose's Brent Burns recorded 21 goals and 51 points - most among blueliners - and Los Angeles' Jeff Carter has 24 goals. Ryan Kesler is on track to win his second Selke while leading Anaheim with 39 points and offensive-minded defensemen Cam Fowler of Anaheim (10 goals) along with Los Angeles' Drew Doughty (eight) join Burns on the back end.