2018 NHL All-Star Skills Compettition

Today was the skills competition of the all-star game in Tampa Bay. Rookie Brock Boeser was the lone Canuck participating in the all-star game. Here is a recap of all six events.

Fastest Skater -- Won by Edmonton Oiler Connor McDavid (13.454 seconds)

Connor McDavid, seen speeding up the ice in a game vs the St. Louis Blues, defended his fastest skater title at the NHL All-Star game

This is a classic event at the NHL all-star game and is always the first event of the night. Former Lightning and current Habs forward Jonathan Drouin has the record for the fastest time at this event (13.103 seconds in 2015). This year just 1 second separated the slowest time (Josh Bailey of the NY Islanders posted a time of 14.413 seconds). Speed really does kill in the NHL. Having an extra step on an opponent can create a clear breakaway or a golden scoring chance.

Passing challenge -- Won by St. Louis Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (46.610 seconds)

St. Louis Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo won the inaugural passing challenge at the 2018 all-star game

This was a brand new event added to skills competition and comprised three different mini-events. First, players had to hit 4 different LED targets that lit up randomly. After hitting all 4 targets, players had to complete 4 give and go passes off rubber bumpers. Finally, they had to shoot over a bumper into 4 mini nets and finish by scoring on a regulation sized net. The first and third events proved to be the most challenging for the players. The worst performer of the night was LA Kings Defenseman Drew Doughty who struggled to hit the LED targets and the mini nets. It took him 1:47.415 to finish. I like this event. 

Longest save streak -- won by Las Vegas Golden Knights goalie Marc Andre Fleury (14 saves)

Las Vegas Golden Knights Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was on a roll stopping 14 straight in the skills competition at the NHL All-Star Game

This was a new event at the skills competition and featured five of the eight goalies at the All-Star game (NY Rangers Henrik Lundqvist vs Central division shooters, Winnipeg Jet Connor Hellebuyck vs Pacific division shooters, Nashville Predator Pekka Rinne vs. Metropolitan division shooters, Vegas Golden Knight Marc-Andre Fleury vs. Atlantic divion shooters and Tampa Bay Lightning Andrei Vasilevskiy vs. Central division shooters; Calgary Flame Mike Smith, Montreal Canadien Carey Price and Washington Capital Braden Holtby did not participate in this event.. Every goalie faced a minimum of 9 shots and if he saved the 9th shot the round continued until he was scored on. Canuck Brock Boeser ended Hellebuyck's night on the first extra shot. Fleury (14 saves) edged out Rinne (13 saves) for the win. The worst performing goalies were Hellebuyck and Vasilevskiy who each stopped 3 in a row. Lundqvist stopped 10 shots overall in his turn. 

Puck Control Challenge -- won by Calgary Flame Johnny Gaudreau (24.650 seconds)

Calgary Flames defenseman Johnny Guadreau dangled his way to victory at this year's puck control relay at the NHL All-Star game

This annual event featured one new twist. Players had to balance the puck on their stick and place it through three gates of different heights determined by which LED gate lit up. Before that, players stick-handled through 8 pucks and maneuvered through an eight cone obstacle course. The gated portion of the event proved to be the most challenging. Austin Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs resorted to picking up the puck and placing it on his stick and even then he missed a few times and finished in 44.434 seconds, a full 20 secomds longer than it took the winner Gaudreau. I really don't see the gated section being included in next year's skills competition. It really isn't a relevant skill players use in the game.

Hardest Shot contest -- Won by Washington Capital Alex Ovechkin (101.3mph)

Washington Capital Alex Ovechkin finally won the hardest shot contest

An annual classic at the skills competition, shooters get 2 attempts to shoot the puck as hard as they can. This year, players did not shoot their two shots consecutively. This year's event was missing some big names Montreal's Shea Weber (currently injured) and Boston's Zdeno Chara (not selected as an all-star) did not compete this year. San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns had the weakest attempt (88mph). The record holder for hardest shot was set by Chara who had a 108.8mph shot in 2012. Former Flames and Blues defenseman Al MacInnis has won this event the most number of times (7). As stick technology has improved over the years so too has the speed of the shots. Former Capitals defenseman Al Iafrate won the inaugural hardest shot with a 96.0mph shot using a one piece wooden stick. Since then, more and more of the competitors are using 2-piece graphite sticks which can produce much more power. If I was an NHL goalie I wouldn't want to face any of the shooters in this years competition. 

Accuracy Shot -- Won by Vancouver Canuck Brock Boeser (11.136 seconds)

Vancouver Canuck rookie Sensation Brock Boeser won this year's accuracy shot competition at the all-star game

This year's accuracy shot competition was tweaked a bit. In years past four breakable clay targets were attached to the four corners of the net and players could choose the order they hit the targets. This year, five LED targets were attached to the net (4 in each corner of the net and one in the middle). Players had to hit the target that was lit and each target only stayed lit for 3 seconds. Boeser won this competition and he actually broke the upper right target causing a big delay before Brad Marchand of the Bruins (2nd worst taking 44.692 seconds to hit all five targets) got his turn. Anze Kopitar of the Kings was even worse taking 50.844 seconds. I thought  it was awesome to see Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby greet Boeser after his performance. Daniel Sedin of the Canucks holds the record for the fastest time at this event, taking 7.3 seconds to hit all 4 targets. Former Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche won this event the most times, 8 (1998-2000 Bourque shared the title with at least one other competitor who equalled the number of shot attempts to hit all 4 targets.

Now that the skills competition is complete, tomorrow is the main event. The Pacific division faces off against the central division @ 12:30pm PST followed by the Metropolitan division facing the Atlantic division an hour later and the 2 winning teams will face each other an hour after that. All three games are 3 on 3 with 10 minute halves. Ties are settled by a 3 shooter shootout. Last year the Pacific division won with John Scott being named MVP. Will Boeser win this year's MVP?

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Game #48 Vancouver Canucks vs LA Kings

Home sweet home. The Vancouver Canucks played at Roger's arena for the first time in 3 weeks as they faced off with division rivals LA Kings. The teams split the first 2 games of the season with the visitor's winning each game. Erik Gudbranson missed his third straight game with a bad back. The Canucks are hoping Guddy is good enough to start skating tomorrow. Michael Chaput cleared waivers and was sent down to the minors. It is looking likely the Sedin Twins will sign for at least another season. Their decision will affect the trade deadline decisions so surely the Canucks will want to know if the twins are coming back or not. A contract doesn't necessarily need to be done but signing the Sedins should be relatively easy as the twins are lifelong Canucks and don't want to play anywhere else. Now onto the game recap.

Game Highlights

• huge 6 goal output by the Canucks tonight led by a pair each from Loui Eriksson  (oddly enough his first 2 at Roger's arena in a year; his other 6 goals this season were scored on the road) and rookie sensation Brock Boeser, who is now in the top 100 in all-time team scoring, which says a lot about our inept history
• Sven Baertschi and Thomas Vanek scored the other two Canucks goals on the night
• Starter Jacob Markstrom  had a solid night stopping 30 of 32 in the victory. 
• Kings starter Jonathan Quick had a bad night right from the get-go, giving away the puck on Eriksson's opening goal. Quick was pulled after allowing 5 goals on 19 shots
• Dustin Brown was being his usual dirty self accidentally/on purpose nailing Daniel Sedin, who has a history of concussions, in the head with the puck nowhere near them. Luckily Daniel finished the game
• the Canucks PP had a good night, converting on 3 of 7 opportunities.

My Take

• This game was a great response to the 1-0 loss vs Winnipeg 2 nights earlier
• This was the second consecutive game where Markstrom had a good night in net. Of course, the Canucks were scoring early and often so Markstrom but he didn't. The first goal was a one-timer by a ridiculously wide open Alex Iafallo and the second on a nice PP screen by the aforementioned Brown
• I liked that the Canucks kept the foot on the gas pedal the whole night and didn't try to sit on the lead
• This was the second game having the full healthy team available. It will be interesting to see who is scratched on a given night. 
• The playoffs are likely a longshot bur the Canucks should be playing meaningful games down the stretch this year if they can get on a roll.
• The injuries and their affect on the lineup really highlighted the lack of depth in the lineup. When Horvat was out, the Canucks won just 4 times in 6 weeks. Of course, they were also missing key forwards Brandon Sutter and Baertschi, but it was when Horvat went down that the Canucks really couldn't match up to their opponents most nights. The Sedins just can't be relied on to carry the team as they did in years past. Boeser was providing the bulk of the scoring.

Game #47 Vancouver Canucks vs. Winnipeg Jets game recap

The Canucks are at the end of a tumultuous three week 7 game road trip. Some good news and some bad news heading into the game. The good news: Bo Horvat makes his return to the lineup after missing 6 weeks with a broken foot. As for the bad news, defenseman Erik Gudbranson was placed on the IR with an injured back prior to the game, effectively ending his availability until after the all-star game. One other tidbit of news, forward Michael Chaput has been placed on waivers with the intention of sending him back to Utica if he clears. Now onto the game recap

Game Highlights

• Patrick Laine scored his 21st goal of the season in what turned out to be the only goal of the game
• Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck had a 29 save shutout. There was a scary moment with three minutes left when Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey's stick clipped Hellebuyck just above the eye. Luckily, the trainers were able to patch him up and Hellebuyck finished the game
• Canucks backup Anders Nilsson had a strong game stopping 35 shots and allowing just Laine's shot, which he had no chance on, to beat him
• both teams were 0-2 on the PP

My Take

• The Winnipeg Jets swept the season series vs. the Canucks
• I thought this was easily the Canucks best game vs. the Jets this season. The other 2 games they were never really in. Today, they hung with the Jets and could have won this game with a bit of puck luck
• Bo Horvat, not surprisingly, looked like the freshest Canuck given it was his first game in six weeks whereas the rest of the team had a short turnaround from last night's loss. Horvat finished the game with 19:05 ice time and was on the ice for the lone goal against. He had his chances and should get better as he gets his timing back after the lengthy absence
• Jake Virtanen was scratched to make room for Horvat. Last night was a rough game for him. Hopefully he does better next chance he plays, which could be next game, depending on the status of Vanek. Thomas Vanek was hit  hard a couple of times. While he finished the game, he may be sore tomorrow.
• Now that the team is healthy again, save for Gudbranson, the Canucks should have a better chance to win most nights.

Game #46 - Vancouver Canucks vs. Edmonton Oilers game recap

Jesse Pujajarvi and Patrick Maroon had plenty to celebrate after a dominating performance vs. the Canucks

It's been an interesting season for the Vancouver Canucks with some expected growing pains but also some promise. Before we get into the recap of tonight's game, some good news for Canucks fans. Bo Horvat is nearing a return to action. He has been cleared to play and travel and is with the team in Edmonton. Likely he'll skate with the team in the morning skates this weekend and practice when the Canucks return home on Monday and either he'll play sometime next week or right after the all-star game. The playoffs are going to be a challenge to make but with the team basically healthy they have a chance. Without further ado here is tonight's game recap.

Game Highlights

• A bad start to this game for Jacob Marsktrom and the Canucks as Patrick Maroon scored on the first shot of the game. The Canucks were caught flatfooted in the neutral zone and Connor McDavid centered to Maroon who finished it off. Patrick Maroon would later seal the game on an empty-netter
• Jesse Puljujarvi of the Oilers took the first penalty of the game shooting the puck over the glass. The Canucks did nothing on the PP. Puljujarvi more than made up for the penalty scoring what would prove to be the winning goal off a scramble late in the second and feeding Leon Draisaitl for the back-breaking goal foyr and a half minutes into the third
• Brock Boeser looked dangerous on the ice and had a couple of chances including a clean breakaway from the blueline but he was stopped by Cam Talbot
• Jujhar Khaira made it 2-0 Oilers by getting behind the Canucks defense and backhanding it over Markstrom who went down early
• Markstrom made a huge early stop in the second on former Canuck Zack Kassian
• the Canucks responded by converting on the PP chance on a nice tip by Daniel Sedin off an Alex Edler wrist shot which for once missed the Oiler's defenders shin pads
• Boeser is stymied by the goal post
• Brandon Sutter ties the game snapping one by Talbot

My Take

• Jacob Markstrom really kept the Canucks in it making several big stops during the game off Kassian and McDavid. At the same time, Markstrom has to find a way to make an extra save. He had no chance on the first and last goals he allowed, but, he was down early on the second goal and he should have found the puck in the scramble. While the Canucks will likely go with backup Anders Nilsson tomorrow, Markstrom played well enough to earn another start tomorrow
• Brock Boeser didn't score but he is creating chances and eventually he'll start scoring in bunches again
• The freshest Canuck tomorrow might be Bo Horvat if he makes his return. Both Vancouver and Winnipeg have to travel after playing in Alberta today. Winnipeg stands to be the fresher team as the Canucks are at the end of a long three week 7 game road trip.
• Chris Tanev looked uncomfortable wearing the caged helmet. To me, it's pretty amazing to see him playing just 5 days after major dental surgery
• Looking ahead, the Canucks face the Jets in Winnipeg tomorrow followed by home dates with the LA Kings and Buffalo Sabres. to wrap up the schedule before the all-star break. They have lost the first 2 meetings vs. the Jets and have lost by a combined score of 9-3. The season series vs. LA is tied at 1 with the road team winning both games. The Canucks beat Buffalo 4-2 back on October 20. The most winnable game is likely Thursday vs. Buffalo but it will be the Canucks 4th game in 6 days so one wonders how much they'll have in the tank

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