The 2022 NHL All-Star Skills competition returned from a yearlong hiatus on Friday, and the events – both old and new – were well worth the wait. Tampa Bay had two winners from the seven events, the most of any team.
The Breakaway Challenge started fun with references to "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" and "The Hangover" from Anaheim's Trevor Zegras (58) and Chicago's Alex DeBrincat (54), respectively. But the event ended in controversy after judge Jon Hamm gave a vote of 19 – by combining cards of one and nine – to Vegas' Alex Pietrangelo (64) even though he missed his shot. New Jersey's Jack Hughes (59) finished second after conducting a magic show and bringing a kid dressed in his uniform onto the ice.
Dallas' Joe Pavelski cruised to an easy victory in the NHL 21 in '22 -- also called hockey blackjack -- a new event in which players shot pucks at oversized cards on Las Vegas Boulevard. The 37-year-old center eliminated Tampa Bay's Steven Samkos to win the inaugural title.
The Fountain Face-Off, the other new event, saw players shoot pucks at floating targets from the Fountains of Bellagio. Nashville's Roman Josi and Columbus' Zach Werenski advanced to the finals from a group of eight, and Werenski won convincingly with a time of 25.634. Josi finished the finals with a time of 47.454.
Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevsky and Toronto's Jack Campbell held off a strong effort from Nashville's Juuse Saros and Minnesota's Cam Talbot to win the Save Streak event. The Saros and Talbot pair saved eight of their first nine shots, but their most in a row was five compared to Vasilevsky and Campbell's nine.
St. Louis Blues center Jordan Kyrou (13.550) took out three-time Fastest Skater Connor McDavid (13.690) to win the 2022 Fastest Skater event. Los Angeles Kings left wing Adrian Kempe finished second with a time of 13.585.
Carolina's Sebastian Aho won the Accuracy Shooting event with a time of 10.937, beating out Pittsburgh's Jake Guentzel (12.017) and Anaheim's Troy Terry (13.491), the second- and third-place finishers.
Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman dominated the Hardest Shot, posting the event's two fastest shots at 103.2 mph and 102.7 mph. The Islanders' Adam Pelech finished second with a fastest shot of 102.2 mph.
The NHL All-Star Weekend festivities continue Saturday with the All-Star game at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena. ABC will broadcast the game at 3 p.m. ET.
Carolina's Sebastian Aho holds on to win the Accuracy Shooting event with a time of 10.937. Pittsburgh's Jake Guentzel and Anaheim's Troy Terry take home second and third-place finishes, respectively.
Dallas' Joe Pavelski didn't miss a single shot in the NHL 21 in '22, topping Tampa Bay's Steven Samkos in the final to win the inaugural event.
Vegas' Alex Pietrangelo brought out the Golden Knights band for his breakaway, but he missed the net. Shockingly, he'll win the event with a score of 64 anyway because judge Jon Hamm put cards of one and nine together for his vote to count for 19. Hughes (59) and Zegras (58) finish second and third, respectively.
The Pacific Division will play the Metropolitan Division in tomorrow's NHL All-Star game. Magician Dustin Tavella orchestrated the draw, which saw Vegas' Jonathan Marchessault choose a random envelope.
Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman will take home the Hardest Shot title after an utterly dominant performance. He accounted for the competition's fastest two shots at `103.2 mph and 102.7 mph. The Islanders' Adam Pelech finished second with a shot of 102.2 mph
Columbus' Zach Werenski dominated Nashville's Roman Josi (47.454) in the Fountain Face-Off finals with a time of (25.634). Werenski is the first ever Fountain Face-Off winner.
Vancouver's Thatcher Demko and Anaheim's John Gibson finish with a Save Streak of three, making Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevsky and Toronto's Jack Campbell the Save Streak winners with a high of nine. Nashville's Juuse Saros and Minnesota's Cam Talbot placed second with a streak of five.
The Oilers' Connor McDavid (13.690) cannot beat Kyrou's time, keeping him from his fourth career Fastest Skater title. The Blues' Kyrou is officially the NHL's 2022 Fastest Skater with a time of 13.550. Los Angeles Kings left wing Adrian Kempe finished second with a time of 13.585.
Carolina's Sebastian Aho breezed to a 10.937 finish in the Accuracy Shooting challenge. He's the current leader.
One of the NHL All-Star Skills' oldest events, Accuracy Shooting, will close the night here in Las Vegas.
Pavelski and Tampa Bay's Steven Samkos are now the final two remaining.
All players have reached 21 in the 21 in '22. Now, all will shoot one more time, and the highest score will win.
Dallas' Joe Pavelski and Colorado's Nazem Kadri have reached 21s in the NHL 21 in '22.
Chicago's Alex DeBrincat, who brought out Derek Carr and Hunter Renfrow from the Las Vegas Raiders, dressed as Zachary Galifianakis' character from "The Hangover" for his turn. He scores a 54, though, which won't be enough to win.
