Bet on blue.
No matter what happens in Saturday’s NHL All-Star Game, the Lightning already have been big winners in Las Vegas after showing out during Friday’s Skills Competition.
Two of the three Lightning All-Stars — defenseman Victor Hedman and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy — won their events inside T-Mobile Arena, while captain Steven Stamkos finished second in his outside on the neighboring Vegas strip.
Hedman, participating in his fourth straight All-Star Game, won Hardest Shot, registering the two fastest shots of the competition. He blasted a shot that was timed at 102.7 mph on his first attempt. His second was even better, hitting 103.2.
“Try to skate as fast as I can and try to shoot as hard as I can,” Hedman said on the ESPN broadcast. “That was the strategy going into it.”
Vasilevskiy teamed with the Maple Leafs’ Jack Campbell to win Save Streak for the Atlantic Division. Facing alternating shooters from the Metropolitan Division, the goaltenders combined to make nine straight saves.
Vasilevskiy stopped seven of the eight shots he faced, allowing a goal only to the Rangers’ Chris Kreider. Kreider fooled Vasilevskiy with the “No-Shot” move the Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov made famous at the 2018 Skills Competition in Tampa.
Stamkos was runner-up in the Vegas-themed “NHL 21 in ‘22″ event on Las Vegas Boulevard. Five players took turns shooting at giant playing cards in an attempt to reach 21 in a version of blackjack. The Stars’ Joe Pavelski beat Stamkos in three rounds.
Even though he didn’t win his event, Stamkos had one of the best lines of the competition. When asked about a high-risk strategy to reach 21, Stamkos blamed the uncharacteristic high-40s Las Vegas cold.
“Yeah, I just don’t want to be here all night,” Stamkos quipped. “I’ve been in Florida for 14 years, I’m freezing.”
The other winners: the Blues’ Jordan Kyrou (Fastest Skater), Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho (Accuracy Shooting), Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski (Fountain Face-Off) and Golden Knights’ Alex Pietrangelo (Breakaway Challenge).
