Hurricanes All-Stars help lead NHL Metro Division to an All-Star Game championship
Frederik Andersen played an important role for the Metropolitan Division All-Stars on Saturday, leading off each of the team’s two games in the NHL All-Star 3-on-3 tournament and allowing the fewest goals per period of any of the goalies in the tourney.
That he helped his team win $1 million is a nice bonus.
Led by Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour, the Metro Division All-Stars rode solid goaltending from Andersen and Pittsburgh’s Tristan Jarry and timely scoring from a number of players — the Canes’ Sebastian Aho had a goal and an assist — to a two-game sweep of the Pacific and Central teams and a 2022 All-Star Game championship.
Aho’s goal came in the Metro’s first game, against the Pacific, and his assist game in the title game against the Central on a nice finish by New Jersey’s Jack Hughes.
Andersen also had an assist for the Metro team on a long outlet to Evgeny Kuznetsov — fitting since Andersen leads the NHL in assists by a goaltender with four.
Metro’s early lead
Kuznetsov scored quickly for the Metro Division, just 27 seconds into the game, to give his team a lead. Andersen had the assist after a long breakout feed.
Clayton Keller of the Coyotes answered, beating Andersen 5-hole, to even the score, but Claude Giroux put the Metro back in front when his shot deflected past Minnesota keeper Cam Talbot at 3:33 of the first half. The league’s leading scorer, Chris Kreider of the Rangers, got into the scoring act on a nice feed from New Jersey’s Jack Hughes to extend the lead to 3-1.
Hughes got one of his own at 7:55 of the first half to answer a Nazem Kadri strike and reestablish a two-goal lead. Aho earned his first point of the final and second of the night with a helper on Hughes’ goal.
Andersen exited after the first half having allowed just the two goals against in his 10 minutes of play in the championship game. His three total goals allowed gave him the best GAA among the goalies in the tournament Saturday.
Joe Pavelski of the Dallas Stars pulled his side within one early in the second half, but Giroux answered again to reestablish the two-goal lead.
Aho, Andersen help Metro win semifinal
Aho and Andersen did their part early in the NHL All-Star festivities Saturday to help the Metro win its first game of the day and advance to the final game.
Aho had a goal and Andersen stopped a handful of tough shots, including breakaways by Connor McDavid and Mark Stone as the Metro topped defending champions Pacific Division 6-4.
Hughes scored a pair of goals in the second half and Jake Guentzel of Pittsburgh added another to snap a 3-3 tie to lead the Metro.
Andersen earned the starting nod and fared will in his 10 minutes of work. He allowed just one goal in the first half of the game — a wicked wrister from San Jose’s Timo Meier — and otherwise stood strong against the Pacific Division group. His biggest save came on a breakaway by Edmonton’s McDavid, who broke free with his speed just about halfway through the opening half, and he added another against hometown favorite Stone of Vegas not too long afterward. Stone also finished with a pair of goals.
On the other end, Aho also earned a starting spot thanks to his familiarity with his team’s head coach, Brind’Amour. After noted pest Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals, who was booed by the local Vegas fans all weekend, opened the scoring just 14 seconds in.
Giroux made it 2-1 for the Metro a bit later, and then 12 seconds after that, Aho deked left, moved right and tucked the puck 5-hole on Pacific Division starter John Gibson of Anaheim.
The first half of the first game ended with Brind’Amour’s team on top, 3-1.
In the second half, with the goalies swapped out (Tristan Jarry of Pittsburgh replaced Andersen, and Thatcher Demko of Vancouver replaced Gibson), the Pacific came back to even the score, getting two early goals from Jonathan Marchessault (Vegas) and Jordan Eberle (Seattle) to tighten things up.
The ‘other’ semifinal
The battle for which team got to face the Metro Division in the final was hotly contested, and much higher scoring. Team Central outlasted Team Atlantic, 8-5, with emerging St. Louis star Jordan Kyrou — Friday night’s winner of the fastest skater competition — netting two goals and adding two assists for the Central.
Alex DeBrincat of Chicago added a pair of goals and Kadri and Roman Josi had a pair of points each.
The monetary stakes for the final are $1 million. In the bragging rights realm, the Central is trying to win its first All-Star game under this format.
This story was originally published February 5, 2022 at 4:02 PM.
