2017 NHL All-Star Game: Atlantic Division Falls To Metropolitan Division

Despite a solid effort by many of their teammates, the Atlantic Division ultimately fell 10-6 to the Metropolitan Division at the 2017 NHL All-Star Game in Los Angeles.

There have been a number of exciting events going on over the course of the weekend, but the one everyone has truly been waiting for didn’t come until tonight. Tonight, the four Divisions of the National Hockey League have sent their best and brightest to the Staples Center in Los Angeles for the 2017 NHL All-Star Weekend.

In the first matchup of the night, the Western Conference teams battled each other. Unfortunately for the Central Division, they were decisively defeated by the Pacific Division in a crushing 10-3 defeat. Now, it was finally time for the Atlantic Division to take on the Metropolitan Division for Eastern Conference supremacy.

Surprisingly enough, the first period between these two Eastern Conference rivals was pretty much even. The Metropolitan Division would strike first blood with a goal from Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds. Thankfully, just a few moments later, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov would bring one home for the Atlantic.

Just 43 seconds after Kucherov’ goal, Simmonds would deftly pick up his second goal of the night. As you can imagine, this only made the Atlantic Division players much more determined. Case and point, just under two minutes later, Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman would pick up a goal to tie things up for the Atlantic.

When the buzzer would sound to end the first period of play, the Atlantic Division and the Metropolitan Division were all tied up with three goals apiece. Unfortunately, this was just the beginning of what would be an incredibly painful 10 minutes of hockey to come.

The period started out looking good for the Atlantic Division team. Just 50 seconds into the period, Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Auston Matthews would pick up his first goal of the night with assists from Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber.

Just 41 seconds later, the Metropolitan Division would go on a rampage with not one, not two, but three goals in less than 30 seconds. Yes…you heard right, three goals in less than 30 seconds. This brought the score to 6-4 in favor of the Metro Division.

It’s pretty safe to assume Boston Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask would like to have a few of those goals back. The first of the onslaught of three was brought on by New York Islanders captain John Tavares. Next would come a goal from Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones. The third would come at the hands of New Jersey Devils forward Taylor Hall.

Thankfully, the Atlantic Division wasn’t done just yet. Or, should we say…Nikita Kucherov wasn’t done yet. Kucherov brought the puck through the neutral zone and into the attack zone. It almost looked like clockwork as Kucherov and his linemate, Florida Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck, completed a tic-tac-toe pass that deftly beat Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and hit the back of the net.

Unfortunately for the Atlantic Division, the number three would come back to haunt them in the worst possible way. It all started with a goal from Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby. From there, Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson would pick up his first and second goals of the night. Did we forget to mention this all happened in the course of a minute and 19 seconds?

Now, this isn’t to say the Atlantic Division were done. Just over a minute later, the combination of Trocheck and Kucherov would strike once again. The play almost looked like it happened in slow motion. In fact, is happened so slyly that the goal horn sounded with a delay and the announcers hardly even realized the puck was in the net.

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Needless to say, this has been one of the most productive lines of the night for the Atlantic Division. It would certainly be nice to see Nikita Kucherov, Vincent Trocheck, and Victor Hedman all on the same line when the NHL resumes the regular season. Unfortunately, we’re pretty sure the Panthers aren’t looking to give him up.

Unfortunately, with a single second left on the clock, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin would put the puck past Tuukka Rask, thus sealing the fate of the Atlantic Division. The Metropolitan Division would defeat the Atlantic Division 10-6 and advance to the Championship Game against the Pacific Division.

If you were purely looking at this game by the numbers, you would easily assume the Atlantic Division had this game on lock. They outshot the Metro Division 25-21as well as outworked the Metro Division in the Faceoff Circle, having gone 55-45. Unfortunately, the scoresheet painted a much different picture.

While the Atlantic Division may not have come home with the victory, Tampa Bay Lightning fans have plenty to be proud of. Not only did Nikita Kucherov break Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin’s Fastest Skater record from the 2016 NHL All-Star Game, but he picked up two goals and two assists in the All-Star Game.

Let’s not forget Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman, who picked up an assist on Nikita Kucherov’ first goal of the night, followed by a goal of his own just under two and a half minutes later. If these two can bring home some of the energy and cohesiveness they picked up at the All-Star Game, the Bolts may just have a chance at salvaging what’s left of their season and potentially place themselves in the playoff picture.

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On Tuesday night, the regular season resumes for the Tampa Bay Lightning as they make their way home to the Amalie Arena to take on the Boston Bruins. This is definitely going to be a challenge for the Bolts, but if they truly want to make something of the season, the time to make their move is now. Unfortunately, only time will tell how this story will play out, but we can assure you, we’ll be there for every minute of it.