Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Jack Campbell admitted he might feel a little starstruck when he appears in his first NHL All-Star Game on Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas.
Sharing the net with Campbell on the Atlantic Division team will be Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, a four-time All Star, two-time Stanley Cup Champion and 2019 Vezina Trophy winner.
“I’m just excited to share a dressing room and learn from him a little bit,” Campbell said of Vasilevskiy.
The Atlantic and Metropolitan teams will be loaded with other standout players when their matchup begins following the first 20-minute semifinal between the Pacific and Central divisions, which is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET.
Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers is among those to watch for the Metro team. He has produced a league-leading 33 goals through the first 47 games this season.
Kreider likely will share plenty of ice time with Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers. Giroux will play in his seventh All-Star Game, which is tied with Steven Stamkos of the Lightning for the most appearances among this year’s selections.
“I always enjoy it,” Giroux said of his previous All-Star experiences. “Anytime you get to play with the best in the league, it’s always great.”
The Metro Division will miss the scoring touch of Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin, who is tied for third in the NHL with 29 goals. He tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday and will be replaced by rugged teammate Tom Wilson.
Jake Guentzel will try to pick up some of the scoring slack after winning the “Last Men In” voting competition for the Metro. He leads the Pittsburgh Penguins with 23 goals and 46 points.
Expect the Atlantic Division to counter offensively with Jonathan Huberdeau of the Florida Panthers, who leads the NHL with 64 points (17 goals, 47 assists) in 47 games, and Auston Matthews of Toronto, who has 29 goals this season after scoring a league-leading 41 in 52 games last season.
The Atlantic also features the league’s top-scoring defenseman, Victor Hedman of Tampa Bay, who has 47 points (10 goals, 37 assists) in 46 games.
–Field Level Media