Along with some of the more recognizable elements of the NHL’s All-Star Skills Competition that sets off All-Star Weekend are a couple of events that take advantage of the spectacle of Las Vegas. Two events won’t be contested on the ice at T-Mobile Arena where the majority of competitions are held, but around the city itself.
The first such event, the NHL Fountain Face-Off, will take place at the Fountains of Bellagio as players aim to hit targets from distance set around the attraction. A selection of players will be taken by boat to a rink set up at the location.
The NHL 21 in ‘22 event is described as “a game of chance, strategy, and skill” that gives a hockey twist on the game of Blackjack, as players attempt to hit a sequence of cards adding up to the total of 21.
How to watch
Start time: 7:30 PM EST / 4:30 PM PST
Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
In Canada: Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French)
In the U.S.: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN+, NHL Live, Sportsnet Now
Events
Fastest Skater
Eight players receive one timed lap around the rink in their direction of choice. At the end, the one with the fastest time takes the prize.
Participants
Chris Kreider, New York Rangers
Adrian Kempe, Los Angeles Kings
Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets
Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals
Jordan Kyrou, St. Louis Blues
Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings
Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Save Streak
The only event for goaltenders, they will face a team of shooters on breakaways, attempting to stop everything they face. The goaltender posting the longest save streak will be declared the winner, with total number of saves serving as the tie-breaker
Participants
Jack Campbell, Toronto Maple Leafs
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
Frederik Andersen, Carolina Hurricanes
Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins
Cam Talbot, Minnesota Wild
Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators
Thatcher Demko, Vancouver Canucks
John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks
Fountain Face-Off
This one may more about the surrounding visuals than the actual event, but a group of skills players are sure to make it a good competition. It will be the first ever event featuring a player representing the expansion Seattle Kraken.
Participants
Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers
Jordan Eberle, Seattle Kraken
Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson, formerly Team USA
Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
Nick Suzuki, Montreal Canadiens
Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets
Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights
Hardest Shot
Players fire a puck as hard as they can into an empty net. Each participant gets two shots during this event, with the player with the highest recorded speed being named the winner. Highlighting that this particular skill has been deprecated in the league in favour of more accurate shots from closer to the net, there are only four participants this year.
Participants
Adam Pelech, New York Islanders
Timo Meier, San Jose Sharks
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Tom Wilson, Washington Capitals
Breakaway Challenge
This one is a pure display of offensive skill. The goalies’ task is mostly to dodge the pucks the players are shooting.
Goalies
Manon Rhéaume, formerly Tampa Bay Lightning/Team Canada
Wyatt Russell (actor John Walker from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series)
Participants
Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild
Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks
Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
Alex DeBrincat, Chicago Blackhawks
Alex Pietrangelo, Vegas Golden Knights
NHL 21 in ‘22
You know one guy is going to lose on a counting error in this one, so that should be fun.
Participants
Nazem Kadri, Colorado Avalanche
Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
Joe Pavelski, Dallas Stars
Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning
Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
Accuracy Shooting
Players shoot at targets inside the net. The clock stops when all targets have been hit.
Participants
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
Clayton Keller, Arizona Coyotes
Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes
Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh Penguins
Troy Terry, Anaheim Ducks
Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames
Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
Jonathan Marchessault, Vegas Golden Knights
