Team Matthews beat Team Hughes 6-5 in the second contest of the NHL All-Star Game in Toronto on Saturday, thanks to a shootout goal and a timely poke check.
Detroit’s Alex DeDrincat had the former, being the only player to score in the four-player shootout when he beat Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko. All-star teammate Igor Shesterkin had the latter, with the Rangers goalie securing the victory when he stuck out the lumber to deny Vancouver’s J.T. Miller in a must-score situation.
The win means Team Matthews will face Team McDavid in the final.
It was an outcome more fitting for an All-Star contest. That is to say: goals, goals, and more goals, with five players collecting three points.
The goals came early and often, starting with Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov just 1:19 in for Team Hughes when he intercepted a pass meant for Toronto’s Mitch Marner at the blue line and raced down the ice to beat Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger five-hole.
DeBrincat tied things at 1-1 for Team Matthews when he finished a setup from Nashville’s Filip Forsberg past Kings goalie Cam Talbot.
Talbot then made a risky, goal-line to blue-line pass to Frank Vatrano to send the Anaheim forward in alone to make it 2-1 for Team Hughes.
DeBrincat knotted things up again 90 seconds later.
Mitch Marner gave the home crowd something to cheer about when he provided Team Matthews with its first lead of the game, going bar down on Demko 2:17 into the second frame.
Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson made it 3-3 on a setup from Vatrano two minutes later, but Filip Forsberg restored the lead when he followed up on his rebound to beat Demko after a setup from the Rangers’ Vincent Trocheck.
Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk then made it 4-4 off a feed from captain Quinn Hughes past Shesterkin
Vatrano then gave Team Hughes the lead with his second just 33 seconds later.
That lead lasted just 33 seconds when Forsberg scored his second on Demko to send the game into the shootout.