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NHL All-Star Game 2017 Live: Metropolitan Division Defeats Pacific to Win Title

Posted on by Eric Kveton

3:55 PM: It was a completely meaningless game, so why am I so disappointed? The Pacific tried their best but couldn’t find a game-tying goal, as the Metropolitan won the NHL All-Star Game title and the million-dollar prize, 4-3. The MVP vote ended up being for nothing as Wayne Simmonds took home the prize, but no one had a problem with that, as the only former King on the winning team.

Hope you had fun! We did.

3:45 PM: This is what we get for rooting for Wayne Simmonds. After Ryan Kesler’s insurance goal was ruled out for offside (yes, at the All-Star Game), Cam Atkinson tied the game and the former Flyer gave his division the lead. Two minutes to go now.

3:35 PM: Lovely start to the second.

3:25 PM: After one period of the championship game, the Pacific holds a 3-2 lead on the Metropolitan. It’s a competitive one, and after Doughty and Carter assisted on Pavelski’s opener, the Met took control. But goals by Seth Jones and Justin Faulk were matched by McDavid and Horvat, putting the Pacific in the driver’s seat.

2:45 PM: Tuukka Rask had a bad time, Cam Atkinson and John Tavares had a good time, and the Metropolitan Division moved on to the championship of the NHL All-Star Game with a 10-6 win. Both Atkinson (a late replacement) and Tavares scored four points in the win, while Braden Holtby pulled out some remarkable saves at the other end as he stopped 12 of 15 shots. The Metropolitan will face the Pacific in the title game, after a heavy dose of Nick Jonas.

2:25 PM: It’s a little quieter in here now, but at intermission this game is certainly closer. 3-3! Simmonds added another one, while the Florida trio of Vincent Trocheck, Victor Hedman, and Nikita Kucherov provided most of the offense for the Atlantic. More importantly, there was this:

2:10 PM: The Atlantic and Metropolitan are under way, and with Wayne Simmonds kicking off the scoring, all is well in LA. Here are the lineups:

1:45 PM: Jeff Carter gets the in-arena interview and Drew Doughty gets the NBCSN interview, because the Los Angeles Kings and the Pacific Division cruised to a 10-3 win in Game 1. And just look at the teamwork!

Every skater had multiple points, with Doughty and Carter banking a goal and two assists apiece. Shots were 22-12, and Dubnyk and Crawford each stopped just 6 of 11. (Jones led the four goalies by stopping seven of nine AND getting an assist.) If the point of entire weekend was to show how awesome the West Coast is, this is definitely helping.

The Atlantic and Metropolitan will play next to determine the second finalist.

1:25 PM: Well! The Pacific has made it 5-1 in in the space of those three minutes. Connor McDavid got his first goal and Brent Burns got on the board as well, before Drew Doughty made a gorgeous move on Corey Crawford. Does this game matter? If it involves the Kings embarrassing the Hawks, who cares?!

1:15 PM: At the game’s first “dry scrape,” it is 2-1 Pacific with three minutes left in the first. Worries that Carter and Doughty might get shut out in their own building were quickly put to rest as Doughty assisted on Carter’s goal, the Pacific’s second after Cam Fowler opened the scoring. Jonathan Toews silenced the doubters with a goal (just kidding, he didn’t) but aside from Patrick Kane’s shot off the post, it’s been mostly the good guys carrying the play.

(refresh this page every couple minutes for updates on the action!)

12:35 PM: Good afternoon, everyone! The 2017 NHL All-Star Game will kick off at Staples Center with a showdown between the Pacific Division and the Central Division. The winner will advance to the finals to face the winner of the Metropolitan vs. Atlantic matchup. Last year, behind a combined shutout from Jonathan Quick and John Gibson, the Pacific triumphed 1-0 over the Atlantic to earn the million-dollar prize. Drew Doughty is one of only three returning players on the Pacific, along with Brent Burns and Johnny Gaudreau, and there will be plenty of motivation to retain their title. But Jeff Carter and the rest of Team Black will want to get their share of the million-dollar prize as well.

Your rosters for the first matchup are below, and we’ll update you as we go.

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