2016 NHL Skills Competition: Time, TV schedule, events and how to watch online

Patrick Kane and the other NHL All-Stars will kick off the real festivities with the 2016 NHL Skills Competition in Nashville on Saturday night. The first major event of the weekend, the annual skills competition pits the game’s greats against each other in what amount to a series of hockey mini-games.

You’re probably familiar with how the Skills Challenge works if you’ve seen it before. The teams are split into Western and Eastern Conferences, then accumulate points through six different events. According to NBCSN, which is broadcasting the event in the US, it’s supposed to last 2.5 hours.

Here are descriptions of the six events, via SB Nation:

• Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater: “Pretty simple here. Four players from each of the four divisional teams will race in pairs around a half of the rink for the fastest time. The winners of each match will score a point, with the fastest skater of the evening earning an extra bonus point for his team.”
• Honda NHL Breakaway Challenge: “Remember when Johnny Gaudreau tried to light his stick on fire but wasn’t allowed to last year? It came in this event, where ‘style, creativity and flair are encouraged’ according to the NHL. Five of the spots will be determined by the team’s captains, with the sixth coming from a fan vote. The challenge scores a team one point for accruing the most fan votes in the arena.”
• DraftKings NHL Accuracy Shooting: “Four skaters from each team will line up for this event, with two passers, and the shooters will try to hit four different targets situated in each corner of a net. The winners of each round get a point, then the team with the fastest shooter gains an extra point.”
• Gatorade NHL Skills Challenge Relay: “Yes, this is the one with those little nets. This relay tests players with five challenges: One Timers, Passing, Puck Control, Stick-Handling and Goalie Goals. Three points are awarded in this event, with two going to the winners of the overall heats and one to the division with the fastest time.”
• AMP Energy NHL Hardest Shot: “Right what it says on the tin. Four shooters from each team try to shoot the puck the hardest in the net. Simple, but one of the biggest events of the night.”
• Discover NHL Shootout: “Works sort of like a normal shootout except there’s a time limit and everyone gets a crack at the net. The teams alternate and get one point for every goal scored and two if they score with a Discover puck.”

Kane, Chicago’s lone All-Star with Jonathan Toews sitting out due to illness, will be participating in three events: the NHL Shooting Accuracy challenge, the NHL Skills Challenge Relay stick handling and the NHL Shootout. Those events should give the Central Division captain a good chance to show off the abilities that have made him the league’s best scorer — by far — this season.

Alex Ovechkin will be joining Toews on the sideline due to injury.