NHL All-Star Game 2018: Five things that made dull tournament bearable

TAMPA – Anaheim Ducks winger Rickard Rakell scored twice and added an assist to spark the Pacific Division to a 5-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning-led Atlantic Division to claim the NHL’s All-Star 3-on-3 tournament. The Pacific Division has reached the final all three seasons of 3-on-3 play, and won it twice.

Here is what was most interesting on the day:

Who is this guy?

Vancouver Canucks rookie Brock Boeser was named MVP after registering a goal and an assist in the Final. He said he was shocked that he won. But his Pacific teammate Johnny Gaudreau wasn’t. “He scored big goals for us, especially in that first game,” Boeser said. “That first shot he had – it was so fast I didn’t even see it go in.”

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Boeser has enjoyed an impressive first season, leading all rookies with 24 goals. No other rookie has more than 17. His calling card is a quick shot release.

For being All-Star MVP, Brock Boeser gets a $212,500 entry-level bonus. That’s in addition to $100,000 for being part of the winning team and $25,000 for winning the shooting accuracy. That’s a good weekend — Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 29, 2018

“He’s real, shy, quiet type-kid and it’s nice to see him come and play like that,” Pacific coach Gerard Gallant said.

Mike Green’s audition?

“Anybody can get lucky,” Green said when asked about his two goals in the final for the Atlantic. But Green could have also been responding to a question about his next landing spot. Even though Green, who also had an assist in the semifinal, brushed off a comment from a reporter about Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin saying he’d love him to return, Green’s time in Detroit is coming to an end. The Detroit Red Wings defenseman is playing on an expiring contract and could help any contender — even the Lightning, who are in the market for a right-handed shooting blueliner. He will be highly sought after as the Feb. 26 trade deadline nears.

Making it count

Give Jack Eichel credit for the most memorable goal celebration. Eichel ripped the puck into the net after a perfect feed into the slot and immediately struck a dramatic referee-style "good goal" pose to mimic Auston Matthews' typical celebration. Matthews got an assist on the goal.

Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews mimicking the Matthews goal signal celebration is great pic.twitter.com/TtPsyp0tcV — Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) January 28, 2018

McDavid is McFast

Given all of the debate about how competitive All-Star weekend really is, it can be reported that McDavid was going full throttle. The day after winning the fastest skater competition, McDavid posted four assists in the Pacific’s opening win against the Central Division.

He was also jetting in the final, although he didn’t cash in on a couple of breakaways. “He was flying,” Gallant said. “Fun to watch him.”

Offside review gives game some legitimacy

The 3-on-3 format for the All-Star Game doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. But these games still don’t rival the competitiveness of a regular-season tilt. The first two semifinals, especially, lacked a consistent edge. Goalies provided most of the must-see moments. An offside review overturned Erik Karlsson’s goal in the first game against the Metropolitan Division as Nikita Kucherov was over the blue line before the puck entered. Watching Karlsson’s face as the review took place was fun for fans. That there was a review in an All-Star Game was even better for its legitimacy.