Sunday, January 30, 2011

2011 NHL All-Star Game: Game on! live blog and reports

2011 NHL All-Star Game - warm-ups - P. Koutroumpis
The 2011 NHL All-Star Game is ready to get underway at the RBC Center in Raleigh, NC. Team Staal took the NHL SuperSkills on Saturday by a score of 33-22 and looks to capture this year's crown in front of the hometown crowd and Carolina Hurricanes teammates Cam Ward and Jeff Skinner help Captain Staal lead the charge. Stay in touch and follow via Twitter @pksport.

Introductions are getting underway and we are ready to go. The thunder is rumbling at the RBC Center!!!

Let's go Staal, let's go Staal, let's go Staal - the chants have started


Kids out on the 'pond' picking teams by throwing sticks to select teams - all of a sudden Rod Brind 'Amour and Ron Francis come out to join the teams.

Captains Staal and Lidstrom lead their teams onto the ice for introductions.

Inspiring national anthems by the Canadian Tenors and Raleigh's Clay Aiken.

NHL All-Star Game faceoff - P. Koutroumpis
Game on!!!

First Period

  • Team Staal scores first - Alex Ovechkin on a tip-in from Zdeno Chara and Mike Green
  • Team Staal up by two - Paul Stastny tips one in from Patrick Sharp and Patrick Elias
  • Team Staal now makes it 3-0 - Patrick Elias from behind - Patrick Sharp and Paul Stastny
    • Team Staal 3-0 

  • Team Staal - Claude Giroux makes it 4-0 - Patrick Sharp and Dave Backes with helpers; Cam Ward unbeaten so far in between the pipes
  • Team Staal - Skinner raps one off the post
    • Team Staal 4-0 - 11:13 remaining
  •  Team Lidstrom - Anze Kopitar beats Ward top shelf with the backhand - Shea Weber with the assist
    • Team Staal 4-1 - 8:26 remaining
  • Team Lidstrom - Dustin Byfuglien from Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith
    • Team Staal - 4-2 - 6:30 remaining
  • Team Lidstrom coming on strong - Cam Ward standing tall
  • Team Lidstrom - Loui Eriksson from Martin Havlat
  • Team Lidstrom ties it - Matt Duchene on breakway - stick-side on Ward - assist to Nicklas Lidstrom
    • Tie game - 4-4 - 1:38 remaining
  • Montage to the Great Gretzky during commercial break - crowd is buzzing - getting ready for intermission
  • Ward with the save on the crease
  • St. Louis hovering around
    • 4-4 tie - end of the first
    • Three Doors Down to perform during intermission
Second Period

  • Team Staal - Patrick Sharp nets one from Claude Giroux
    • Team Staal leads 5-4 - 17:12 remaining
  • Team Staal's Carey Price is solid in between the pipes - two saves on his pads
  • Team Staal Kris Letang roofs one - Daniel Sedin and Alex Ovechkin with the helpers
    • Team Staal 6-4 - 13:46 remaining
  • Team Staal all over Jonas Hiller; Team Lidstrom hits the pipe
  • Team Staal's Chara just misses over the net with a hard snapper
  • Team Lidstrom's Hiller robs Backes on an off-wing shot
  • Team Lidstrom' Jonathan Toews hits the post on a breakaway
    • Team Staal - 6-4 - 10:42 remaining
  • Team Lidstrom Anze Kopitar finishes tic-tac-toe with Loui Eriksson to beat Price
    • Team Staal still leads 6-5 - 9:25 remaining
  •  Ovechkin with the move at the blue line, but off-side
  • Ovechin picks up the puck and cradles it to keep control
  • Team Lidstrom gets it up ice on the transition
  • Team Lidstrom - Steven Stamkos ties it up with assists to Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards
  • Team Lidstrom - Daniel Briere with the go-ahead goal
    • Team Lidstrom - 7-6 - 3:47 remaining
  • Team Staal - Jeff Skinner of the breakaway and denie with the toe save by Hiller 
  • Team Staal sets up the offense - back and forth action
  • Team Lidstrom Hiller blanks Rick Nash on breakaway and Staal on two separate shots from the wing
    • Team Lidstrom 7-6 - 1:22 remaining
  • End of the period - Team Lidstrom leads 7-6
Third Period
  • Start of period has provided a few chances, but pretty quiet - crowd needs to have a reason to get excited
  • Skinner denied by Thomas on the tip-in
    • Team Lidstrom 7-6 - 16:34 remaining
  • Finally!! Team Staal - captain Staal scores on a breakaway with a shot past Tim Thomas
      • Corey Perry and Rick Nash get assists on the goal
    • Tie game - 7-7 - 15:50 remaining
  • Team Lidstrom breakaway - stick thrown
  • Matt Duchene on the penalty shot - denied by Henrik Lundqvist
    • Still tied - 7-7 - 13:37 remaining
  • Play back and forth; waiting for something to happen
  • Team Staal - Kris Letang scores his second of the game - assisted by Patrick Elias and Jeff Skinner
  • Boy Wonder Jeff Skinner gets his first NHL All-Star point
    • Team Staal leads 8-7 - 10:41 remaining
  • Team Lidstrom - Daniel Briere ties it - Henrik Sedin and Shea Weber assist
  • Team Lidstrom - Jonathan Toews scores with the spin move and toe-drag snapper  
      • Assists to Loui Eriksson and Martin Havlat
    • Team Lidstrom leads 9-8 - 7:39 remaining
  • Team Lidstrom - Martin St. Louis tallies one from Brent Burns
  • Team Staal's Skinner tries again, but to no avail
  • Team Staal - Rick Nash on the toe-drag to draw Thomas down scores to narrow the gap
      • Corey Perry and Zdeno Chara with assists on the play
    • Team Lidstrom with 10-9 lead -  4:24 remaining
  • Team Staal's Lundqvist big save on Patrick Kane
  • Team Lidstrom's Thomas with the blocker save on Daniel Sedin
    • Team Lidstom leads 10-9 - 1:28 remaining 
  • Team Staal pulls Lundqvist: Team Lidstrom's Loui Eriksson scores empty-netter
  • Team Staal scores as Staal snaps one past Thomas
    • Team Lidstrom leads 11-10 - 29.7 remaining
  • Team Staal pulls Lundqvist; a few close chance stopped by Thomas
    • Final Score - Team Lidstrom 11, Team Staal 10 
      • MVP - Team Staal - Patrick Sharp (Chicago Black Hawks)

                                  Updated Examiner.com stories - All-Star Game edition

                                  2011 NHL All-Star Game: Red Carpet and SuperSkills excite fans in Raleigh

                                  2011 NHL All-Star Game: Fantasy Draft results set rosters for competition

                                  2011 NHL All-Star Game: Hockey Day in Carolina

                                  2011 NHL All-Star Game: Courage comes to Carolina

                                  2011 NHL All-Star Game: Skinner added to roster, rookie call-ups and more

                                  2011 NHL All-Star Game: Hurricanes rookie Skinner has skills