2018 NHL All-Star skills competition: How to watch on TV, online
The competition will feature six events.
The night before the NHL All-Star Game players will compete in six events during the skills competition. This year’s skills competition will shake things up with two new events and some minor changes to some old favorites.
The hardest shot and fastest skater will remain, but new events will showcase other parts of the game, such as passing and goaltending.
The player who wins each event will take home $25,000.
Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane will compete in the puck control relay and save streak.
Here’s a breakdown of the six events players will be competing in Saturday in Tampa.
Fastest skater
The competition will change from its one-on-one race format to a time trail for a full lap around the ice. Eight players will choose which direction they skate. The player with the fastest time wins. In the event of a tie, players will skate a second lap to determine the winner.
The race is on.
— NHL (@NHL) January 27, 2018
Who do you have setting the pace in the @Enterprise NHL Fastest Skater competition? #NHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/uIpECFCcop
Passing challenge
There will be one round with three different objectives for eight players. The first is the target passing, with players completing passes to four targets that will randomly light up. Once completed, a player will move to the neutral zone, where he must complete four give-and-go passes. The final phase will be to complete saucer passes over obstacles and into miniature nets. The fastest time wins.
A new skills event and a new chance for glory for the players taking part in the @dunkindonuts NHL Passing Challenge. #NHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/Wy1qC2dvq0
— NHL (@NHL) January 27, 2018
Save streak
Five goaltenders will complete to make the most consecutive saves on a minimum of nine shootout attempts. Each player from each division will shoot, with the team captain going last. A round must end with a goal, so if the captain’s shot is saved the players will cycle through again until a goal is scored to end the round.
Five of the eight goalies will compete and all 36 skaters will get a chance to shoot. In the event of a tie, the goalie with the most overall saves wins.
A new battle for goalie glory.
— NHL (@NHL) January 27, 2018
These netminders are looking to rack up the stops in the @GEICO NHL Save Streak. #NHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/BPzuqhfUON
Puck control relay
Eight players will compete in the event with three obstacles. The first is stick-handling, where a player controls a puck through a series of eight pucks in a straight line. After completing this stage, a player will navigate through a series of eight cones in a zig-zag formation then finish the event by guiding the puck through a gate. The fastest time wins.
There's a new twist in the @Gatorade NHL Puck Control Relay... here's who's giving it a go. #NHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/K6Wdn1TiHm
— NHL (@NHL) January 27, 2018
Hardest shot
Six players will try to record the hardest shot, which has a two-round format. Each player will have two shots per round and the fastest will be recorded. After the first shot, the order of the shots will be reshuffled based on the speed in the first round from slowest to fastest. The fastest shot wins.
Who tops the radar gun?
— NHL (@NHL) January 27, 2018
Check out the boys who will be firing pucks in the @PPG NHL Hardest Shot competition. #NHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/1YDt0dD7h8
Accuracy shooting
Eight players will compete in the event. Players will shoot from 25 feet out and try to hit five targets with LED lighting. One target will light up for 3 seconds at a time, which the player will try to hit. The player who breaks all five targets the fastest time wins.
🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯
— NHL (@NHL) January 27, 2018
That's right, there are now five targets for these guys to hit in the @Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting contest. pic.twitter.com/tKvwgTu5eq
How to watch
Date: Saturday, Jan. 26
When: 6 p.m. (CST)
Where: Amalie Arena; Tampa, Florida
TV: NBC Sports Network
Stream: NBC Sports