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Vegas Golden Knights: Marc-Andre Fleury And James Neal Shine At All-Star Game

By Richard Cardinale |
TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 28: (L-R) Marc-Andre Fleury #29, head coach Gerard Gallant and James Neal #18 of the Vegas Golden Knights pose for a photo during warm-up prior to the 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game at Amalie Arena on January 28, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 28: (L-R) Marc-Andre Fleury #29, head coach Gerard Gallant and James Neal #18 of the Vegas Golden Knights pose for a photo during warm-up prior to the 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game at Amalie Arena on January 28, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

Vegas Golden Knights players lead Pacific division to one million dollar championship prize at NHL All-Star Game.

What an All-Star weekend it was for hockey fans around the world. Fun, laughter, excitement and celebrating the best players around the NHL. The league really hit it out of the park this year.

There were a lot of storylines heading into the NHL All-Star weekend. Allowing Brad Marchand to play during his suspension, Brian Boyle announced as an All-Star after his battle with cancer, and the introduction to the Vegas Golden Knights. The Pacific division was led by Golden Knights Head Coach Gerard Gallant, and his squad took home the grand prize.

First, the Pacific defeated the Central by a score of 5-2 thanks to Connor McDavid four assists and James Neal’s two goals. Marc-Andre Fleury started the first half of the game allowing only one goal and stopped seven out of eight shots. However, it was Mike Smith who eventually earned the victory as he started the second half of the game and had the same exact stat line as the Flower.

Following that matchup, the Atlantic division ended up beating the Metropolitan division in an offensive outburst by both squads. Nikita Kucherov netted a hat trick for the hometown crowd in Tampa Bay and gave his club a 7-4 victory. The win clinched a spot in the championship game against the Pacific.

Finally, in the last game of the evening, the Pacific came out on top once again by a score of 5-2. Neal was the only player on the Pacific not to record one point in the game. Although, Marc-Andre Fleury did his job stopping three out of four shots thus earning the victory for his team. Rickard Rakell was the star in this one registering two goals and one assist.

Overall, the All-Star game was enjoyable to watch. In addition, I love seeing the top players from each team showcase their skills. Furthermore, you’ll never get to see unlikely duos of Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby or Brent Burns and Drew Doughty.

Next: Vegas Golden Knights: Marc-Andre Fleury Wins Save Streak Competition

All in all, its time to get back to business with the Vegas Golden Knights. With the All-Star Game in the rearview mirror, its full speed ahead the rest of the way. The grind begins again on Tuesday night when the Golden Knights take on division foe Calgary for the first time this campaign.

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