Tonight is the 2019 NHL All Star Skills Competition and the NHL All Star Game is set for tomorrow. The six categories for the skills competition are as follows:
Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater
Enterprise NHL Premier Passer
Ticketmaster NHL Save Streak
Gatorade NHL Puck Control
SAP NHL Hardest Shot
Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting
With some new names attending their first All Star Game, it’s going to be fun seeing who will be competing in which event and the victors. My picks for each would be Connor McDavid for Fastest Skater as he has won it the last two years. I’m going with Giroux for Premier Passer and you gotta go with Fleury for the Save Streak. Johnny All Star is taking home Puck Control. After that slash, Keith Yandle for Hardest Shot and always take Sidney Crosby in an Accuracy Shooting competition.
As for the All Star Game, the Metropolitan Division seems to be the favorite going into the weekend. However, the Pacific Division has the players to put up back to back wins. I’m going with the Metro versus the Pacific in the finals and as long as Letang is defending for the Metro, the Pacific is winning it all.
Here are the full rosters for each team. The coaches leading from the benches this year are Jon Cooper, Paul Maurice, Todd Reirden, and Bill Peters.
Atlantic
Jack Eichel, Sabres
Nikita Kucherov, Lightning
Auston Matthews (C), Maple Leafs
Jeff Skinner, Sabres
David Pastrnak, Bruins
Steven Stamkos, Lightning
John Tavares, Maple Leafs
Thomas Chabot, Senators
Keith Yandle, Panthers
Jimmy Howard, Red Wings
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning
Central
Patrick Kane, Blackhawks
Nathan MacKinnon (C), Avalanche
Ryan O’Reilly, Blues
Mikko Rantanen, Avalanche
Mark Scheifele, Jets
Blake Wheeler, Jets
Gabriel Landeskog, Avalanche
Miro Heiskanen, Stars
Roman Josi, Predators
Devan Dubnyk, Wild
Pekka Rinne, Predators
Metropolitan
Sebastian Aho, Hurricanes
Cam Atkinson, Blue Jackets
Mathew Barzal, Islanders
Sidney Crosby, Penguins
Claude Giroux, Flyers
Kyle Palmieri, Devils
John Carlson, Capitals
Seth Jones, Blue Jackets
Kris Letang, Penguins
Braden Holtby, Capitals
Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers
Pacific
Johnny Gaudreau, Flames
Clayton Keller, Coyotes
Connor McDavid (C), Oilers
Joe Pavelski, Sharks
Elias Pettersson, Canucks
Leon Draisaitl, Oilers
Brent Burns, Sharks
Drew Doughty, Kings
Erik Karlsson, Sharks
Marc-Andre Fleury, Golden Knights
John Gibson, Ducks