Metropolitans reign in NHL All-Star final; Stars’ Seguin has 2 assists in semifinal
Wayne Simmonds scored the tiebreaking goal with 4:58 to play, and fill-in coach Wayne Gretzky led the Metropolitan Division to a 4-3 victory over the Pacific Division on Sunday in the final match of the revamped NHL All-Star Game.
Columbus’ Cam Atkinson scored the tying goal for the Metropolitans in the four-team, 3-on-3 divisional tournament format introduced to the midseason classic last season. Washington goalie Braden Holtby then made several big saves to secure the win for his 11-man team, which will split a $1 million prize.
The Pacific team had crushed the Chicago Blackhawks-dominated Central Division 10-3 in the first 20-minute semifinal. Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin, in his fourth All-Star Game, had two assists for the Central but no shots on goal in 6:53 of ice time. Chicago’s Jonathan Toews, St. Louis’ Vladimir Tarasenko and Nashville’s P.K. Subban scored for the Central.
The Metropolitan team beat the Atlantic 10-6 in the second semifinals. The Metropolitans scored three goals in 19 seconds, including two goals five seconds apart by Columbus defenseman Seth Jones and New Jersey forward Taylor Hall.
Jones is an Arlington native and the son of former Dallas Mavericks and NBA player Popeye Jones.
Simmonds, the Flyers’ first-time All-Star, was named the game’s MVP after he put the Metropolitans ahead. The goal completed a hat trick for the former Kings forward, who is still well-liked in Los Angeles after he was traded to Philadelphia in 2011.
Simmonds and Atkinson, a late addition to the team, scored three goals apiece.
But the game was secondary when the NHL’s best gathered on a 72-degree day in Hollywood. A sellout crowd at Staples Center cheered the first All-Star Game for Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine and a host of young talent.
It was also just the second All-Star appearance by Sidney Crosby, who hadn’t been healthy for the game since 2007. Crosby and Alex Ovechkin were played together by Gretzky, who stepped in to coach the Metropolitan team when Columbus’ John Tortorella couldn’t attend the weekend festivities due to an ailing dog.
The Great One even played a significant role in the outcome: Gretzky challenged an apparent goal by the Pacific in the final minutes and got it successfully taken off the board when McDavid was ruled offside.
The All-Stars got an additional thrill before the game when roughly half of the 100 greatest players in NHL history stood in a line on the ice and shook hands with the current players during introductions. The greats then dropped a ceremonial first puck for each of the 44 All-Stars.
This story was originally published January 29, 2017 at 7:20 PM with the headline "Metropolitans reign in NHL All-Star final; Stars’ Seguin has 2 assists in semifinal."