After hours of goals, goal songs, some reviews, and Machine Gun Kelly, the Metropolitan Division beat the Central Division to win the 2022 NHL All-Star Game. Flyers veteran (and future trade deadline MVP?) Claude Giroux won the All-Star Game MVP.
Click here for all the highlights, results, and Trevor Zegras-ness of the 2022 NHL All-Star Skills competition.
Here’s a rundown of all three games.
2022 NHL All-Star Game results
NHL All-Star Game 1: Metro vs. Pacific
Tom Wilson continued to generate heel heat during 2022 NHL All-Star weekend by scoring the opening goal. The true highlight was Claude Giroux dancing through the notoriously lax defense to score an impressive one:
oh my claude. #NHLAllStar | @28CGiroux pic.twitter.com/ftOocPjvWJ
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) February 5, 2022
Naturally, as Giroux dangled early and often during the NHL All-Star Game, people made plenty of jokes about the Flyers veteran auditioning for a future trade.
The Metro used the Flyers’ goal song, which inspires a question: why not just rotate goal songs? Oh well.
Evgeny Kuznetsov bonding with Patrice Bergeron’s kids may have been the best highlight of them all.
Kuzy & Bergeron’s kids so cute! pic.twitter.com/t4ccogK3io
— CapsWoman (@capswmn) February 5, 2022
Anyway, the Metropolitan Division beat the Pacific 6-4 in the first game.
The Metropolitan Division takes game one and will play in the final!
— NHL (@NHL) February 5, 2022
Whose performance makes them the early frontrunner for the @Honda #NHLAllStar MVP?
Perhaps everyone was, uh, not quite 100 percent to start the games?
How in the world was the 2022 NHL All-Star Game not sponsored by Pedialyte and Sloppy "Breakfast" at the Waffle House? https://t.co/2BRjWNsxJO
— James O'Brien 📎 (@cyclelikesedins) February 5, 2022
Sportsnet posted video of the entire Metro vs. Pacific bout, the first of the 2022 NHL All-Star Game(s):
NHL All-Star Game 2: Atlantic vs. Central
Some of the best sequences of the second game involved saves, not goals. During the first period, Cam Talbot made a number of impressive stops:
Holy crap what a save sequence from Cam Talbot 🤯 pic.twitter.com/s3AwRItvZx
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) February 5, 2022
Interestingly, there were two reviews in the Atlantic - Central game, both involving Kyle Connor. First, a seeming Victor Hedman goal ended up being a Kyle Connor goal after review.
Then, a nice Connor goal was challenged for offside, and that challenge ended up nullifying the goal. Cheeky.
But, yeah, a nice sampling of saves, all things considered:
😮😮 #NHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/Aho8CZVDkO
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) February 5, 2022
After winning the fastest skater at the 2022 NHL All-Star Skills, Blues forward Jordan Kyrou scored two goals and two assists to continue quite a weekend.
Four points (2G, 2A) in his first #NHLAllStar Game...is that good? pic.twitter.com/1zS1QiuOrl
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 5, 2022
The Central Division ended up beating the Atlantic Division 8-5 to advance the final of the 2022 NHL All-Star Game.
More wholesome fun:
Steven Stamkos media availability had to be ended for the important issue of going to see the zamboni pic.twitter.com/QxUMrwFAWC
— Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) February 5, 2022
Between the second game and the 2022 NHL All-Star final, Machine Gun Kelly performed.
— I Rink You Should Leave (@nhlleave) February 5, 2022
Watch the whole second game here, again via Sportsnet:
NHL All-Star Game 3 (Final): Metropolitan vs. Central
According to the Sportsnet telecast, Kirill Kaprizov named his cat after Evgeny Kuznetsov. Important stuff.
Speaking of Kuznetsov:
Kuzy's having some fun out there. 🦅#NHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/OGm5hoEkJW
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 5, 2022
Rather than changing goal songs by rotating after each tally, period, or even game, each division stuck with the same one. If you’re like me, this song began to eat away at your patience:
Being that Claude Giroux, Jack Hughes, and the Metropolitan Division were playing quite well, that song was getting drilled into our skulls.
That's seven-time #NHLAllStar Claude Giroux (@28CGiroux) still getting it done. 👌
— NHL (@NHL) February 5, 2022
🇺🇸: @abcnetwork
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/8MRXk1neOb
Late in that final 2022 NHL All-Star Game, there was another review, negating a goal that was offside. Yay.
Ultimately, the Metropolitan Division beat the Central 5-3 to win the 2022 NHL All-Star game, and the $1M.
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.