NHL All-Star weekend began on Friday evening with the All-Star Skills Competition taking center stage at FLA Live Arena.
New York Islanders center Brock Nelson won the Accuracy Shooting event as he topped Calgary Flames forward Nazem Kadri in the final. Nelson had defeated New York Rangers star Artemi Panarin in the semifinals to clinch his spot in the final.
Meanwhile, Kadri edged out Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid by inches as he knocked down his four targets before McDavid in their semifinal matchup. This came after McDavid had smashed his four targets in a mind-boggling 9.494 seconds during his first attempt of the night.
When it comes to the Hardest Shot event, it's normally a defenseman that takes home the honor. Instead, it was Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson that was victorious in the event as he recorded a top shot of 103.2 mph. Pettersson just defeated Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey, who registered a 102.3 mph shot.
Pettersson is just the fourth forward ever to win the event, joining Alex Ovechkin (2018), Sergei Fedorov (2002) and Fredrik Modin (2001).
Carolina Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov proved that he has quite a set of wheels in the Fastest Skater competition. Svechnikov defeated Los Angeles Kings forward Kevin Fiala with a time of 13.699 seconds.
He just edged out Fiala, who recorded a time of 14.114 seconds during his final run. Svechnikov actually beat his preliminary run by 0.058 seconds to take the crown.
In what is annually one of the more entertaining events of the All-Star Skills Competition, the Breakaway Challenge didn't disappoint. Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak did his best Happy Gilmore impersonation while Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk channelled his inner Beach Boys.
The tandem of Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby won the event thanks to an assist from Ovechkin's son, Sergei, who scored on Roberto Luongo.
In the Splash Shot event, players shot pucks at surf boards with an end goal of dunking an opposing player that was sitting in a dunk tank at the end. The team of Colorado Avalanche stars Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen edged out the New York Rangers duo of Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox.
Meanwhile, in the Pitch 'n Puck event, players shot white pucks towards a hole on a local golf course. Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki won that particular event as he topped the likes of Columbus Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau, Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller and Dallas Stars standout Jason Robertson.
The All-Star festivities continue on Saturday with the All-Star Game itself at 3 p.m. ET.
The 2023 NHL All-Star Skills Competition winners are as follows:
Islanders forward Brock Nelson tops Flames forward Nazem Kadri to win the Accuracy Shooting competition. It's crazy that Kadri was able to beat out McDavid then ends up falling short against Nelson. That'll end the night in South Florida.
After the battle of New York, we got the Battle of Alberta between Connor McDavid and Nazem Kadri. After McDavid finished off his targets in under 10 seconds the first time, Kadri takes down McDavid by a fraction of a second to advance to the final. It's Brock Nelson vs. Nazem Kadri.
Brock Nelson tops Artemi Panarin in their semifinal matchup in the Accuracy Shooting event. The battle of New York goes to Long Island. Panarin just wasn't able to get in the zone.
The Accuracy Shooting final is about to get underway. Connor McDavid, Nazem Kadri, Brock Nelson, and Artemi Panarin will compete for the crown.
Matthew Tkachuk is doing his best Beach Boys impression. He also enlists the help of Miami Dolphins defensive lineman Christian Wilkins to put sunglasses on Roberto Luongo and equip him with a pool noodle. Tkachuk threw the puck into the bucket hat he was wearing then fired the entire hat into the net.
Canucks star Elias Pettersson wins the Hardest Shot with a top shot of 103.2 mph. Pettersson is just the fourth forward ever to win the event.
Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones hits just 93.2 mph on his first attempt then follows it up with a shot of 94.7 mph.
