The 2020 NHL All-Star Skills Competition took place Friday night as players showcased their skills.
The 2020 NHL All-Star Skills Competition took place Friday night and some of the game’s brightest stars got a chance to showcase their skills and have a little fun alongside their piers.
While many of the events have taken place in previous years, Friday's Elite Women's 3-on-3 event marked the inaugural All-Star weekend skills challenge game between women hockey stars from the United States and Canada. Team Canada prevailed 2-1.
Canada's Rebecca Johnston scored the lone goal of the 10-minute first period just 1:20 in to give her side a 1-0 lead. Melodie Daoust doubled her team's lead three minutes into the second.
Hilary Knight scored to bring the U.S. within a goal in the second period, but Canadian goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens silenced the Americans throughout the remainder of the frame.
While female players have been involved in the skills competition event previously, Friday's 3-on-3 game marked their most extensive involvement to date.
Here's a roundup of what else happened during the other five events:
NHL Faster Skater:
New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal won the faster skater competition on Friday night, racing around the ice in only 13.175 seconds. Barzal knocked off three-time defending champion Connor McDavid who had a tiny stumble during a straightaway and came in at 13.215.
Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers finished third, completing his lap in 13.509 seconds.
NHL Save Streak:
St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington won the Save Streak competition, stopping 10 consecutive shootout attempts to win the event.
Earlier in the challenge, Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy saved nine shots in a row, en route to eventually finishing in second place. Frederik Andersen finished third in the event with a streak of seven saves. The three aforementioned players were the only three players to record consecutive save streaks of seven or more shots.
NHL Shooting Accuracy:
Carolina Hurricanes forward Jaccob Slavin won the accuracy competition, hitting the five targets in just 9.505 seconds. He needed just eight shots to complete the competition.
Slavin actually took one more shot than Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, but Draisaitl fired slower than the eventual winner. Jonathan Huberdeau of the Panthers finished third.
NHL Hardest Shot:
Canadians defenseman Shea Weber reclaimed his title as the NHL's hardest shooter, winning the hardest shot competition for the fourth time.
Weber won the event three years in a row from 2015 to 2017. His shot on Friday night went 106.5 miles per hour. Last year's winner, John Carlson, finished second with 104.5 miles per hour.
NHL Shooting Stars:
In another new event, 10 players were tasked with firing pucks into targets from 30 feet up in the stands.
Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane tied Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner in the first round with 22 points each. Kane hit a two-point target in the extra shot, while Marner missed the target.
The 2020 NHL All-Star Skills Competition took place Friday night as players showcased their skills.
The 2020 NHL All-Star Skills Competition took place Friday night and some of the game’s brightest stars got a chance to showcase their skills and have a little fun alongside their piers.
While many of the events have taken place in previous years, Friday's Elite Women's 3-on-3 event marked the inaugural All-Star weekend skills challenge game between women hockey stars from the United States and Canada. Team Canada prevailed 2-1.
Canada's Rebecca Johnston scored the lone goal of the 10-minute first period just 1:20 in to give her side a 1-0 lead. Melodie Daoust doubled her team's lead three minutes into the second.
Hilary Knight scored to bring the U.S. within a goal in the second period, but Canadian goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens silenced the Americans throughout the remainder of the frame.
While female players have been involved in the skills competition event previously, Friday's 3-on-3 game marked their most extensive involvement to date.
Here's a roundup of what else happened during the other five events:
NHL Faster Skater:
New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal won the faster skater competition on Friday night, racing around the ice in only 13.175 seconds. Barzal knocked off three-time defending champion Connor McDavid who had a tiny stumble during a straightaway and came in at 13.215.
Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers finished third, completing his lap in 13.509 seconds.
NHL Save Streak:
St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington won the Save Streak competition, stopping 10 consecutive shootout attempts to win the event.
Earlier in the challenge, Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy saved nine shots in a row, en route to eventually finishing in second place. Frederik Andersen finished third in the event with a streak of seven saves. The three aforementioned players were the only three players to record consecutive save streaks of seven or more shots.
NHL Shooting Accuracy:
Carolina Hurricanes forward Jaccob Slavin won the accuracy competition, hitting the five targets in just 9.505 seconds. He needed just eight shots to complete the competition.
Slavin actually took one more shot than Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, but Draisaitl fired slower than the eventual winner. Jonathan Huberdeau of the Panthers finished third.
NHL Hardest Shot:
Canadians defenseman Shea Weber reclaimed his title as the NHL's hardest shooter, winning the hardest shot competition for the fourth time.
Weber won the event three years in a row from 2015 to 2017. His shot on Friday night went 106.5 miles per hour. Last year's winner, John Carlson, finished second with 104.5 miles per hour.
NHL Shooting Stars:
In another new event, 10 players were tasked with firing pucks into targets from 30 feet up in the stands.
Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane tied Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner in the first round with 22 points each. Kane hit a two-point target in the extra shot, while Marner missed the target.
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