LAS VEGAS -- The NHL's All-Star Weekend kicks off tomorrow here in Vegas at the Golden Knights' T-Mobile Arena.
Friday's schedule includes the All-Star media day at 12:45 p.m. Eastern, followed by the skills competition at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. The All-Star Game takes the form of a three-on-three tournament between the teams from the four divisions.
The skills competition will be broadcast on ESPN in the U.S., and the game will be aired on ABC.
What are the skills events this year, and which ones are Jake Guentzel and Tristan Jarry participating in? What do the rosters look like now after several players have had to withdraw due to illness or injury? What other thing do you need to know about this weekend? Let's take a look.
ROSTER CHANGES
A number of players have been replaced from the original rosters due to illness or injury.
Adam Fox withdrew due to an upper-body injury and was replaced by Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Alex Ovechkin was slated to captain the Metropolitan Division team after winning the fan vote, but entered COVID protocol on Wednesday and was replaced by Tom Wilson. Claude Giroux was named captain in Ovechkin's place.
Nathan MacKinnon had won the fan vote to captain the Central Division, but withdrew due to a concussion and facial fracture sustained in a game on Jan. 26. Roman Josi replaced him on the roster, and Joe Pavelski was named captain.
Brady Tkachuk replaced Drake Batherson as Ottawa's representative following Batherson's injury from the Aaron Dell hit on Jan. 25.
There are 21 first-time selections participating in the All-Star Game. Giroux and Steven Stamkos are tied for the most appearances among the participants, with each participating in their seventh. The full rosters can be found here.
SKILLS COMPETITION EVENTS
There are seven different events in the skills competition this year -- some mainstays, some brand-new events, and one event making a much-anticipated return. The winner of each event wins $30,000.
1. Fastest skater
Participants:
Chris Kreider, Rangerrs
Adrian Kempe, Kings
Kyle Connor, Jets
Evgeny Kuznetsov, Capitals
Jordan Kyrou, Blues
Dylan Larkin, Red Wings
Cale Makar, Avalanche
Connor McDavid, Oilers
McDavid is the player to watch in this one after winning the event in 2017, 2018, and 2019. He came in second place in 2020 with a time of 13.215, edged out by Mat Barzal's 13.175. As a three-time winner, McDavid tied with Mike Gartner for the most fastest skater titles in NHL history. He can claims sole possession of first place with a win this year.
2. Save streak
Participants
Jack Campbell, Maple Leafs
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning
Frederik Andersen, Hurricanes
Tristan Jarry, Penguins
Cam Talbot, Wild
Juuse Saros, Predators
Thatcher Demko, Canucks
John Gibson, Ducks
Goalies face off against shooters from opposing divisions, and the one who puts together the longest streak of saves wins. Jordan Binnington won the title in 2020 with a streak of 10 saves. Jarry was in a three-way tie for last in 2020 with a streak of four saves. This is the only event Jarry is participating in this year.
3. Fountain Face-Off
Participants
Jonathan Huberdeau, Panthers
Claude Giroux, Flyers
Jordan Eberle, Kraken
Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson
Roman Josi, Predators
Nick Suzuki, Canadiens
Zach Werenski, Blue Jackets
Mark Stone, Golden Knights
This is an event unique to this year, and will take place outdoors at the Bellagio Fountains. Players will go head-to-head on a rink in the middle of the fountains and compete to hit five targets in the least amount of time.
Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson, who scored the gold medal-winning shootout goal for the U.S. women in the 2018 Olympics, will participate in the event.
NHL PR
Fountain Face-Off setup
4. Hardest shot
Participants
Adam Pelech, Islanders
Timo Meier, Sharks
Victor Hedman, Lightning
Tom Wilson, Capitals
Each player gets two attempts, with an extra attempt being granted if a player breaks his stick. Shea Weber won this event in 2020 with a speed of 106.5 miles per hour.
5. Breakaway challenge
Participants
Goalies: Manon Rheaume, Wyatt Russell
Kirill Kaprizov, Wild
Trevor Zegras, Ducks
Jack Hughes, Devils
Alex DeBrincat, Blackhawks
Alex Pietrangelo, Golden Knights
The breakaway challenge -- a trickshot competition that evolved into players getting creative by breaking out props and costumes over the years -- returns for the first time since 2016.
The winner will be chosen by a panel of judges, with each opportunity being rated on a scale of 1-10. The judges will be Emmy Award-winning actor Jon Hamm, comedian and ventriloquist Terry Fator, and Paul Coffey and Mark Messier.
The goaltenders will be Manon Rheaume -- the first woman to play in an NHL preseason game when she did so with the Lightning in 1992 and 1993 -- and Wyatt Russell, an actor who previously played goaltender for the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He played the main antagonist in the sequel to the movie Goon.
Zegras isn't an All-Star, but he was brought in by the NHL just to participate in this event after scoring both a Michigan goal and doing a Michigan-style assist earlier this season.
6. NHL 21 in '22
Participants
Nazem Kadri, Avalanche
Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs
Joe Pavelski, Stars
Steven Stamkos, Lightning
Brady Tkachuk, Senators
This is another new event that will remain unique to this year. It'll take place outside on Las Vegas Boulevard, with an oversized deck of cards serving as target for shots. The goal is for players to achieve a hand of 21 without going bust, in the fewest number of shots.
NHL PR
NHL 21 in '22 setup
7. Accuracy shooting
Participants
Four passers, including Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson
Leon Draisaitl, Oilers
Clayton Keller, Coyotes
Rasmus Dahlin, Sabres
Sebastian Aho, Hurricanes
Jake Guentzel, Penguins
Troy Terry, Ducks
Johnny Gaudreau, Flames
Patrice Bergeron, Bruins
Jonathan Marchessault, Golden Knights
The player who hits all four targets in the fastest amount of time wins. Jaccob Slavin won this event in 2020, hitting all four targets in 9.505 seconds. This will be the only skills competition event Guentzel participates in.
ALL-STAR GAME FORMAT
The game on Saturday follows the same format the NHL has used since 2016.
There will be three games -- one between the two Eastern Conference divisions, and one between the two divisions from the Western Conference. The winner of each game moves onto the championship game.
The games will be three-on-three and last 20 minutes, with teams switching sides at the midway point. If a game is tied after 20 minutes, it will go into a shootout.
The winning team splits a $1 million prize pool.
OTHER ENTERTAINMENT
Platinum-recording artist Machine Gun Kelly headlines the entertainment and will perform during the second intermission of the game on Saturday.
Grammy Award-winning DJ and producer Zedd will open the game on Saturday during the player introductions.
Singer-songwriter Faouzia will perform the Canadian anthem, and multi-platinum singer-songwriter Blanco Brown will perform the U.S. anthem ahead of the All-Star Game. Golden Knights anthem singers Lynnae Meyers and Carnell Johnson will perform the anthems before the skills competition.
