It was a scoring affair on the Las Vegas strip, as the Metropolitan Division won the 2022 NHL All-Star Game. Led by the likes of Claude Giroux, who tallied a pair in the championship contests, they trounced the opposing Central Division 5-3 en route to their third victory in the last six years.
Hosted at T-Mobile Arena, home of the Vegas Golden Knights, Giroux was named MVP, scoring a total four points on three goals and a single assist.
“He was great,” said Metropolitan Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour. “Good to see. Been a trouper in this league for a long time, kind of carrying the torch a little bit for this league in these events. Then to come out and be one of the best guys on the ice, that says a lot.”
While all eyes gleamed on the impending free agent, Jack Hughes helped carry the load where he could, with a similar stat line of three goals and a single assist. A key component of the team’s fight to the finish line, Hughes, a former first overall draft pick, tallied two of his total four points in the championship battle.
That included the eventual game-winning goal, which he buried by Cam Talbot to close out Saturday’s festivities. Between the pipes for both the semifinal and championship affairs, Tristan Jarry appeared to be the difference maker, turning over 13 shots of the 14 that he faced.
Earning the necessary win to secure a spot in the finale, the Metropolitan Division sunk the Pacific by a 6-4 margin, an effort that gave them all the confidence they would need.
While led by the offensive skillset of Hughes, they also saw a contribution from Jake Guentzel, who helped guide them to the finish line with a late goal of his own.
Prior to puck drop on the yearly annual event, The Pacific Division was leading the way with three All-Star wins, while Metropolitan sat right behind with a pair of their own.
Saturday’s event marked the sixth time in league history that the National Hockey League followed the updated three-on-three format. The NHL first adopted this framework back in 2015.
Another successful event at the season’s halfway mark, the league returns in full swing on Monday night, with regular season games taking place for the first time since Wednesday, February 2.
With NHL players not partaking in the Beijing Winter Olympics, only two games are slated for competition on Monday, with Brind’Amour and the Carolina Hurricanes visiting the Toronto Maple Leafs, while Jack Hughes and the New Jersey Devils visit the Ottawa Senators.
Both games, taking place in Ontario, are set to get underway starting at 7:00pmET respectively.