Team Lidstrom beats Team Staal, 11-10

For Team Lidstrom, it wasn’t how they started periods – it’s how they finished them. The men in blue watched Team Staal begin each period with a goal, only to have a response every time.

Nicklas Lidstrom and company wrapped up an 11-10 victory at RBC Center in the 58th NHL All-Star Game, hosted by the Carolina Hurricanes. Patrick Sharp took home the game MVP (and a car) with his spectacular three-point performance.

Team Staal didn’t waste any time to please the home crowd. Alex Ovechkin scored the icebreaker just 50 seconds into the game when his backdoor feed was re-directed into the net before reaching Daniel Sedin.

Sharp stole the show for the next three minutes, tallying two primary assists to put Team Staal up 4-0. Sharp found Paul Stastny for a one-timer at 2:48 and, then he picked up the assist with a saucer pass to Claude Giroux, who deposited a back-hander at 5:41. Patrik Elias also scored for Team Staal (Sharp had an assist taken away).

Then the ‘home’ team showed that 4-0 is the ‘worst lead’ in an All-Star Game (kidding).

Team Lidstrom responded quickly with four goals of their own. Anze Kopitar and Dustin Byfuglien scored a couple nice goals to cut the deficit in half, 4-2. Dallas’ Loui Eriksson capitalized on a Kris Letang turnover to bring Team Lidstrom within one.

Matt Duchene tied the game at four on a slick breakaway goal, going top-shelf on Cam Ward at 16:30 courtesy of a great pass from Lidstrom.

Marc-Andre Fleury responded to some heckling from the Carolina fans with two great saves late in the period to keep the game tied.

Team Staal once again flew out of the gates to start the period. Sharp collected his fourth point with his goal at 1:18, assisted by Giroux. Kris Letang extended their lead to 6-4 with a wicked wrister from the slot five minutes later.

However, Team Lidstrom responded to score three goals to finish the period. Kopitar slammed home the team’s fifth goal of the night at 10:50 after trading multiple passes with Eriksson. There wasn’t much room on Carey Price’s short-side, but Steven Stamkos found it to tie the game at 14:11. Danny Briere gave Team Lidstrom the lead heading into the third when he beat Price glove-side with 4:29 remaining in the period.

Eric Staal scored his first of two goals at the 3:49 mark of the third, tying the game at seven. After Duchene missed on a penalty shot opportunity, Letang gave Team Staal the 8-7 lead with 11:14 to go in the game. Once again, Team Lidstrom fired back.

Briere and Henrik Sedin combined on a beautiful goal at 9:57 to tie it up again, followed by a slick goal by Jonathan Toews 48 seconds later to put Team Lidstrom up 9-8. Martin St. Louis extended their lead to two goals as his back-hander trickled over Henrik Lundqvist and across the line.

Team Staal didn’t go down without a fight, though. Rick Nash’s point-blank shot found the back of the net with 4:49 remaining; the goal was setup by a great pass from Corey Perry.

Eriksson seemed to put the game away with his empty net tally with 1:11 to go. However, Staal gave the crowd more the cheer for as he snuck one five-hole on Tim Thomas. They couldn’t send the game to overtime, however, and Team Lidstrom walked away with an 11-10 victory.

Team Staal held the advantage in shots, 46-45

Team Lidstrom was led by Kopitar, Briere and Eriksson, who scored two goals each. Staal and Letang also scored twice for Team Staal.

Carolina’s Jeff Skinner was given plenty of chances to score in front of his home fans, but he came up short on a few golden opportunities.

More to come from Raleigh…

Ryan Porth for Preds On The Glass

All-Star Game Preview

58th NHL All-Star Game
Team Lidstrom vs. Team Staal
4:00 ET… TV: Versus, CBC

Five intriguing storylines

Goaltenders:
Team Lidstrom-
Tim Thomas (2010/11 stats: 24-5-6, 1.81 GAA)
Marc-Andre Fleury (2010/11 stats: 23-11-2, 2.19 GAA)
Jonas Hiller (2010/11 stats: 25-16-3, 2.50 GAA)
Team Staal-
Henrik Lundqvist (2010/11 stats: 21-16-3, 2.29 GAA)
Cam Ward (2010/11 stats: 22-15-5, 2.70 GAA)
Carey Price (2010/11 stats: 24-16-5, 2.36 GAA)

Players to watch:
TL- Brad Richards
Richards is a quiet MVP candidate and could either play alongside old buddy Martin St. Louis or teammate Loui Eriksson.
TS- Alex Ovechkin
We all know ‘Ovie’ is a showman – so this kind of event is one that he could really shine in.

Game Thoughts:
If today’s game is as much fun as the last nights have been fun, this should exceed expectations. This All-Star Weekend has been a lot of fun, more than in past events like this. Team Lidstrom has the better roster; but as we saw last night, Team Staal has the decisive home-ice advantage. They’ll be looking for the sweep today after dominating the skills competition. I don’t see it being as high scoring as other games in the past… but I do see Team Lidstrom hitting double digits and overcoming the crowd.

Prediction: Team Lidstrom 10, Team Staal 7
Game MVP Pick: Matt Duchene (2 G, 1 A)
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Video of the Day:


More to come from Raleigh...
Ryan Porth for Preds On The Glass

SuperSkills Quick Summary

Team Staal: 33
Team Lidstrom: 22


Fastest Skater
- Michael Grabner recorded the two fastest times: 14.061 and 14.238.
- Cam Ward beat Tim Thomas in the head-to-head goalie race as Thomas fell down.
- Kris Letang barely beat out Duncan Keith in the backwards race.
- Team Staal led Team Lidstrom 5-3 after the first round.

Breakaway Challenge
- Alex Ovechkin won the challenge with a goal from his knees and deked around Marc-Andre Fleury, who was lying down on his side nonchalantly.
- P.K. Subban came in second despite not scoring a goal. He energized the crowd by putting on Jeff Skinner’s jersey.
- Loui Eriksson had a nice goal where he wrapped around the net twice before deking out Carey Price.
- Corey Perry also showed off some skills, doing a few tricks with the puck on his stick.
- There were only three goals on 23 attempts.

Accuracy Shooting
- Daniel Sedin became the fourth player to nail all four targets in four attempts. In his next round (worth two points, not one), he hit four of five.
- One the third round, Jonathan Toews did not hear the whistle to go and Patrick Sharp won. The ‘officials’ rewarded a do over and Toews ended up winning, not leaving the crowd too happy.

Skills Challenge Relay
- Two groups from each team participated in the new event. Team Lidstrom came out on top, with the fastest time of 2:09, courtesy of Toews’ rapid fire target shooting.
- I thought this new event was pretty cool. It had a lot of different aspects – one-timers, passing, stick-handling, shooting – and was something refreshing. The passing was fun to watch, including saucer passes.

Hardest Shot
- Zdeno Chara broke his own record with a 105.9 mph slapshot in the final round. He also touched 105 mph.
- Shea Weber was the leader in the clubhouse when he registered a 104.8 mph slapper on his second shot.
- Alex Ovechkin broke his stick on his second shot, had a couple shots that didn’t register on the radar gun, and then tripped over a loose camera cord.
- Rick Nash brought up the rear with an 88.5 mph ‘rocket’.

Elimination Shootout
- Corey Perry won the shootout with three goals; he beat out Martin St. Louis, who had a couple nice backwards moves.
- Henrik Lundqvist and Fleury were stout in net, stopping 10 of 11 shots they faced.
- Eric Staal made the hometown crowd happy with a goal to complete the first round of shooters, but failed on his second attempt.

More to come from Raleigh...

Ryan Porth for Preds On The Glass

SuperSkills Participants

Tonight's SuperSkills competition is one my favorite annual events. Everyone's skills are on display and the event is a lot of fun. Below is a list of participants, courtesy of NHL.com. The festivities begin at 6 pm et with a mascot game! The SuperSkills competition begins at 7 pm et.

NHL Fastest Skater
Team Staal
Michael Grabner, Islanders
Mike Green, Capitals
Patrick Sharp, Blackhawks
Ryan Kesler, Canucks
Marc Staal, Rangers
Kris Letang, Penguins
Team Lidstrom
Duncan Keith, Blackhawks
Taylor Hall, Oilers
Matt Duchene, Avalanche
Martin St. Louis, Lightning
Steven Stamkos, Lightning
Keith Yandle, Coyotes

NHL Breakaway Challenge
Team Staal
P.K. Subban, Canadiens
Corey Perry, Ducks
Alex Ovechkin, Capitals
Team Lidstrom
Evgeny Dadonov, Panthers
Anze Kopitar, Kings
Henrik Sedin, Canucks

NHL Accuracy Shooting
Team Staal
Rick Nash, Blue Jackets
Daniel Sedin, Canucks
Eric Staal, Hurricanes
Logan Couture, Sharks
Patrik Elias, Devils
Ryan Kesler, Canucks
Passer: Dan Boyle, Sharks
Passer: Paul Stastny, Avalanche
Team Lidstrom
Brad Richards, Stars
Phil Kessel, Maple Leafs
Patrick Kane, Blackhawks
Jonathan Toews, Blackhawks
Martin Havlat, Wild
Derek Stepan, Rangers
Passer: Nicklas Lidstrom, Red Wings
Passer: Danny Briere, Flyers

NHL Skills Challenge Relay
Team Staal
Group 1
Zdeno Chara, Bruins
Eric Staal, Hurricanes
Daniel Sedin, Canucks
Erik Karlsson, Senators
Dan Boyle, Sharks
Tyler Ennis, Sabres
Paul Stastny, Avalanche
Corey Perry, Ducks
Group 2
Kris Letang, Penguins
Mike Green, Capitals
Claude Giroux, Flyers
Patrik Elias, Devils
Jamie McBain, Hurricanes
David Backes, Blues
Marc Staal, Rangers
Jeff Skinner, Hurricanes
Team Lidstrom
Group 1
Nicklas Lidstrom, Red Wings
Brad Richards, Stars
Loui Eriksson, Stars
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Coyotes
Henrik Sedin, Canucks
Martin St. Louis, Lightning
Matt Duchene, Avalanche
Jonathan Toews, Blackhawks
Group 2
Shea Weber, Predators
Dustin Byfuglien, Thrashers
Phil Kessel, Maple Leafs
Keith Yandle, Coyotes
Patrick Kane, Blackhawks
Martin Havlat, Wild
Kevin Shattenkirk, Avalanche
Danny Briere, Flyers

NHL Hardest Shot
Team Staal
Zdeno Chara, Bruins
Alex Ovechkin, Capitals
David Backes, Blues
Tyler Seguin, Bruins
Rick Nash, Blue Jackets
Patrick Sharp, Blackhawks
Team Lidstrom
Anze Kopitar, Kings
Steven Stamkos, Lightning
Dustin Byfuglien, Thrashers
Brent Burns, Wild
Shea Weber, Predators
Cam Fowler, Ducks

NHL Elimination Shootout
The battle between Team Staal and Team Lidstrom will be decided as all of the All-Stars and Rookies compete in the NHL Elimination Shootout. Shooters who score will move on to the next round in the shootout, with the All-Star goalies rotating after every third shooter. Rounds of the shootout will continue until only one player scores and the other(s) don't; the last scoring shooter wins.

For more info, check out NHL.com

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Ryan Porth for Preds On The Glass

All-Star Fantasy Draft Recap

Suffice to say, the draft lived up to expectations tonight. The event didn’t drag out like regular drafts in every sport. In fact, it didn’t even have a draft-like setup; it looked more like a game show than anything.

Here are the results of the draft with some thoughts from different players, along with my quick opinion of how the rosters shaped out.

Team Staal
Eric Staal (C)
Ryan Kesler (A)
Mike Green (A)

1. Cam Ward, G
2. Alex Ovechkin, F
3. Daniel Sedin, F
4. Zdeno Chara, D
5. Rick Nash, F
6. Henrik Lundqvist, G
7. Marc Staal, D
8. Patrick Sharp, F
9. Dan Boyle, D
10. Carey Price, G
11. Jeff Skinner, F
12. Kris Letang, D
13. Claude Giroux, F
14. Erik Karlsson, D
15. Corey Perry, F
16. Patrik Elias, F
17. David Backes, F
18. Paul Stastny, F

Team Lidstrom
Nicklas Lidstrom (C)
Martin St. Louis (A)
Patrick Kane (A)

1. Steven Stamkos, F
2. Duncan Keith, D
3. Henrik Sedin, F
4. Shea Weber, D
5. Tim Thomas, G
6. Danny Briere, F
7. Dustin Byfuglien, D
8. Jonathan Toews, F
9. Marc-Andre Fleury, G
10. Jonas Hiller, G
11. Brad Richards, F
12. Keith Yandle, D
13. Brent Burns, D
14. Martin Havlat, F
15. Anze Kopitar, F
16. Matt Duchene, F
17. Loui Eriksson, F
18. Phil Kessel, F

Post-Draft Observations:
- Team Lidstrom has the talent, but Team Staal has the crowd behind them, which will make for a very interesting weekend between the Skills Competition and All-Star Game.
- When you look closer at Team Lidstrom, they have some previous chemistry. Stamkos and St. Louis are obviously together, but St. Louis also played with Richards for a handful of years in Tampa. Martin Havlat could be re-united with Kane and Toews. Also, Keith and Weber played together sparingly with Team Canada last winter.
- The thing that really gets to me about Team Lidstrom is how they were able to draft Kopitar and Duchene in the 15th and 16th rounds, respectively.
- Team Staal isn’t bad, but it felt like Eric was almost obligated to get all of his Hurricanes teammates and his brother, especially early on. Giroux and Perry were nice late-round steals, though.
- The Sedins were not drafted to the same team, which will make it the first time ever that they play against each other.
- One of the funniest moments was when Eric Staal said into the mic: ‘With the sixth pick, from the New York Rangers… Henrik Lundqvist.’ I think once he said New York, everyone expected it to be his brother Marc.
- Poor Kessel. By around Round 15, you had the feeling that he could be the last pick. Well, he turned out to be Mr. Irrelevant. Hey, at least he got a car!

Post-Draft Quotes:
Marc Staal on the event…
“There were a lot of questions going in and I didn’t really know what to expect, but it was well-run. It was actually a little nerve-racking sitting down there waiting to be picked – more than you’d think.”

Marc Staal on being picked after Lundqvist…
“That probably pissed me off more than sitting there longer! (Laughs)… It was funny and it was a good pick by him.”

Marc Staal on playing with Eric…
“We’re going to have to (talk) now. We’re teammates – we have to get along!”

Shea Weber on the ‘awesomeness’ of Team Lidstrom…
“Obviously, both teams have great teams. It’s going to be an exciting and fun time this weekend.”

Shea Weber on playing with a few Blackhawks…
“It’s a totally different situation being here. Obviously during the season they are a heated rival of ours and the games are always intense. But here, we’re here to have a good time and have some fun.”

Nicklas Lidstrom on picking Weber…
“We all liked him, we know what he brings to the table and how good of a player he is. It wasn’t really hard for us to pick Shea that high.”

Nicklas Lidstrom on line combinations…
“I’m sure the coaching staff will do some of that – they have to do some work, too! But I like the team we put together.”

Patrik Elias on the event…
“I kind of wanted to go three rounds later (laughs). At that point I at least could have gotten a car maybe – get it for charity and do something nice.”

Patrik Elias on the teams…
“I think both teams did a good job with balance. The way it’s setup, it should be a good game and good skills competition. I’m glad we got Chara on our team!”

More to come from Raleigh…

Ryan Porth for Preds On The Glass