NHL All-Star Game final matchup: Central vs Atlantic
By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — The Central Division and the Atlantic Division have reached the final of the NHL All-Star Game.
One of them will actually win the thing.
Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk had three goals and two assists — his five points tying a single-game record for the 3-on-3 All-Star format — in the Atlantic’s 10-6 win over the Metropolitan Division in the second semifinal at the All-Star Game on Saturday.
Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk — Matthew’s brother, the duo becoming the 11th set of brothers to be All-Star teammates — had a goal and three assists for the Atlantic.
Detroit’s Dylan Larkin and Montreal’s Nick Suzuki each scored two goals for the Atlantic, while Florida’s Aleksander Barkov and Toronto’s Mitch Marner had three assists apiece.
Columbus’ Johnny Gaudreau had three goals for the Metropolitan. Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby had two goals and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin had the other.
The 16 goals in the second semifinal tied a combined record in the 3-on-3 format. Matthew Tkachuk matched the five-point game turned in by Mathew Barzal and Crosby in the 2019 final.
The Central and Atlantic will play later Saturday in the final. Neither division has won the All-Star Game in six previous editions of the 3-on-3 format.
In the opener, Arizona’s Clayton Keller had two goals and an assist, Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon scored twice and the Central moved into the title matchup with a 6-4 win over the Pacific.
St. Louis’ Vladimir Tarasenko had a goal and three assists for the Central. Chicago’s Seth Jones had a goal and two assists.
Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson had two goals, while San Jose’s Erik Karlsson and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid also scored for the Pacific. Los Angeles’ Kevin Fiala had two assists.
The All-Star Game is a series of three games — all 3-on-3, all 20 minutes in length. Each of the four divisional teams had 11 players, nine skaters and two goalies. The winning team splits $1 million.
This year marks the seventh time that the NHL used the divisional-team tournament format for the All-Star Game. The Pacific Division won the first such game, the Metropolitan Division won the second, and they continued alternating wins in all six editions under this format — but neither made the final Saturday.
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