Vegas Golden Knights: Stage is set for Pacioretty in St. Louis

Tonight is the night that Max Pacioretty has been waiting for with the Vegas Golden Knights forward taking center stage at the 2020 Honda NHL All-Star Game in St. Louis.

After taking somewhat of a backseat during the NHL All-Star Skills Competition at the Enterprise Center on Friday, the Vegas Golden Knights points leader will have plenty of opportunity to impress tonight.

Because, at 5:00 p.m. PT today, the main event of the 2020 NHL All-Star Game will take place with a $1 million prize pool awaiting the winning Division at the end of the three-game tournament.

Pacioretty will be hoping to help the Pacific Division see off the Central Division in the Western Conference Semi-Final, in order to set up a Final against either the Atlantic or Metro Division.

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I’ve mentioned it in a previous piece but, for me, the Atlantic Division is absolutely stacked and is probably the team to beat this weekend.

However, the Pacific Division is also loaded in its own right and it will be fascinating to watch Pacioretty rub shoulders with some of the premier talent in the NHL.

Of course, Pacioretty is a star in his own right and he’s backed that up this year with 21 goals and 26 assists for 47 points in 52 games.

It could be a career year for the veteran who more than earned his first taste of an All-Star Game this weekend.

And, after not having too much to do on Friday, I can’t wait to see Pacioretty in full stride in the All-Star Game today.

He will be taking the ice with the likes of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Anze Kopitar, Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes, and that lineup has the potential to be explosive.

I’m here all day long for Pacioretty ripping home one-timers from filthy McDavid dishes, while I’m also incredibly excited about the potential of Pacioretty taking to the ice with two phenoms in Pettersson and Hughes.

Watching Pacioretty become allies with San Jose Sharks forward Tomas Hertl will also be fun given the amount of heated battles those two have competed in over the last couple of years, and the same applies to LA Kings star Anze Kopitar.

Given the weapons he’ll have around him, coupled with his high hockey IQ and lethal release, it wouldn’t surprise me if Pacioretty absolutely went off during the All-Star Game tonight.

And, if they can get past a talented Central Division that will feature the likes of Ryan O’Reilly, Tyler Seguin, Roman Josi, Patrick Kane and Nathan MacKinnon, it will give Pacioretty the opportunity to showcase his considerable talents for the entire hockey world to see.

But, whatever happens tonight, it will just be incredible to see one of the NHL’s nice guys get an opportunity to strut his stuff alongside other elite talent in-front of his family.

This could well be Pacioretty’s only All-Star Game and, if it is, then hopefully the forward can leave his mark by doing to some of the game’s very best what he has been doing for the Vegas Golden Knights all year.

However the 2020 NHL All-Star Game unfolds, tonight’s main event will be must-watch TV for fans of Max Pacioretty.