This year’s NHL All-Star Game will be a mix of the biggest stars and the players who will eventually replace them as league standard bearers.
Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin and Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby have had a combined 11 previous appearances, though this will be their first time at the same game since 2017. San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson is making his seventh appearance and first in four years.
The game is also filled with rising under-25 stars such as New Jersey’s Jack Hughes, Dallas’ Jason Robertson, the New York Rangers’ Adam Fox, Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov and Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin, who are making their first or second appearance in the three-on-three tournament.
“You go down the list, every team seems to have a young superstar that’s just emerging or about to emerge on to the scene and doing spectacular things,” said 15-time All-Star Mark Messier, who will be an analyst for ESPN at the event. “I think it’s one of the reasons why we do have so much parity in the league.”
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Here’s what to know about the NHL All-Star Game:
When and where will the NHL All-Star Game weekend be held?
The skills competition will be at 7 p.m. ET Friday at FLA LIVE Arena, the home of the Florida Panthers. The All-Star Game will be held at 3 p.m. ET Saturday. The Sunrise, Florida, arena last hosted All-Star weekend in 2003.
How can I watch the skills competition and All-Star Game?
Friday’s skills competition will be shown on ESPN and Saturday’s game will be on ABC.
How can I stream the skills competition and All-Star Game?
FuboTV carries ESPN and ABC, and you can also stream via the ESPN app. Both events will be shown on ESPN+.
What are the new events in the skills competition?
NHL Splash Shot: The competition takes part on a beach in Fort Lauderdale. Players hit targets then attempt to dunk their opponent in a dunk tank. The first to dunk their opponent is the winner.
NHL Pitch ‘n Puck: Using a combination of hockey and golf shots, six NHL All-Stars will play a par 4 featuring an island green at a South Florida golf course. The player who sinks the puck/ball in the hole with the fewest shots wins. In the event of a tie, the longest drive determines the winner.
NHL Tendy Tandem: One goalie from each division will be designated the shooting goalie and one the in-net goalie. The shooting goalie from a division will take a shot from a designated mark. Three points will be earned if the shot goes in the hole, two points if shot hits the in-net target, and no points if the shot misses the net. The in-net goalie from the opposing division will face three, two or one player, depending on the points earned by the goalie who shoots. Alex Carpenter, Hilary Knight, Emily Clark, Rebecca Johnston and Sarah Nurse are the shooters.
What other events are in the skills competition?
The popular hardest shot, fastest skater and accuracy shooting contests are back. Goalies will be tested in a series of breakaways in the save streak contest. In the breakaway challenge, shooters are scored by a panel on the creativity of their moves. Hall of Famer Roberto Luongo will serve as the celebrity goalie.
What is the All-Star Game format?
The Pacific Division will play the Central Division for 20 minutes of three-on-three action, followed by a second game between the Metropolitan and Atlantic divisions. The teams will change sides and goalies at the 10-minute mark. Tie games will be decided by shootouts. The winners of the semifinals will face off for the championship. The winning team will share $1 million.
Who are on the All-Star teams?
All-Star appearance in parentheses, skills competition assignment included
ATLANTIC DIVISION
F Aleksander Barkov, Florida (2nd)*, accuracy
D Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo (2nd)**, hardest shot
F Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay (4th), accuracy
F Dylan Larkin, Detroit (3rd), fastest skater
F Mitch Marner, Toronto (2nd), breakaway challenge
F Nick Suzuki, Montreal (2nd), pitch ‘n puck
F Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa (3rd), breakaway challenge, splash shot
F Matthew Tkachuk, Florida (2nd), splash shot
G Linus Ullmark, Boston (1st), tendy tandem
G Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay (5th), tendy tandem
Coach: Boston’s Jim Montgomery
*-replaces injured Toronto F Auston Matthews. **-replaces injured Buffalo F Tage Thompson
METROPOLITAN DIVISION
F Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh (5th), splash shot, breakaway challenge (with Ovechkin)
F Johnny Gaudreau, Columbus (7th), pitch ‘n puck
F Kevin Hayes, Philadelphia (1st), accuracy
F Jack Hughes, New Jersey (2nd), accuracy
F Brock Nelson, N.Y. Islanders (1st), accuracy
F Alex Ovechkin, Washington (8th), hardest shot, breakaway challenge (with Crosby)
F Artemi Panarin, N.Y. Rangers (1st), accuracy
F Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina (1st), fastest skater
D Adam Fox, Rangers (1st), splash shot
G Igor Shesterkin, N.Y. Rangers (1st), tendy tandem
G Ilya Sorokin, Islanders (1st), tendy tandem
Coach: Rod Brind’Amour, Carolina
CENTRAL DIVISION
F Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota (2nd), fastest skater
F Clayton Keller, Arizona (3rd), pitch ‘n puck
F Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado (4th), splash shot
F Mikko Rantanen, Colorado (2nd), splash shot
F Jason Robertson, Dallas (1st), pitch ‘n puck
F Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis (4th), accuracy
D Seth Jones, Chicago (4th), hardest shot
D Cale Makar, Colorado (2nd), fastest skater
D Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg (1st), hardest shot
G Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg (3rd), tendy tandem
G Juuse Saros, Nashville (2nd), tendy tandem
Coach: Peter DeBoer, Dallas
PACIFIC DIVISION
Pacific Division skills assignments weren’t fully available as of 5 p.m. ET Thursday
F Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton (4th), accuracy
F Kevin Fiala, Los Angeles (1st)
F Bo Horvat, Vancouver (2nd)*
F Nazem Kadri, Calgary (2nd), accuracy
F Connor McDavid, Edmonton (6th), accuracy
F Elias Pettersson, Vancouver (3rd), hardest shot
F Chandler Stephenson, Vegas (1st)**, fastest skater
F Troy Terry, Anaheim (2nd)
D Erik Karlsson, San Jose (7th)
G Stuart Skinner, Edmonton (1st), tendy tandem
G Logan Thompson, Vegas (1st), tendy tandem
Coach: Bruce Cassidy, Vegas
*-traded to the Islanders after being named. **-replaces injured Seattle F Matty Beniers
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL All-Star Game 2023 schedule: Live stream, rosters, skills contests
