John Scott leads Team Pacific to All-Star victory

You know what?

The NHL All-Star Game was fun this year. It was worth watching. With the NHL’s introduction of 3-on-3 overtime, introducing a mini-tournament was the perfect way to shake things up, and it ended up actually being a genuinely entertaining product.

Of course, the 3-on-3 aspect was only half the story. If it continues, that’ll be great; however, what really made this weekend was John Scott.

He, along with teammates Johnny Gaudreau and Mark Giordano, led the way to Pacific Division glory, and wrapped up a storybook weekend in perfect fashion.

This was the game I think we were expecting to see out of the 3-on-3 tournament. Fifteen goals over 20 minutes? With the Pacific – aka the division Gaudreau plays in – kicking ass? Yeah, that sounds about right. 

Gaudreau was one of his team’s leaders with a goal and two assists, while Giordano racked up one assist – on a 2-on-0 with Gaudreau, as a matter of fact.

That was the only goal Gaudreau would score all weekend, but it certainly wasn’t for lack of trying. Seriously – Gaudreau probably had more chances than anybody else, including multiple breakaways (which has to be a frightening sight if you’re an opposing goalie) – but he was just unable to bury the puck more than the one time. Hopefully that’s as far as his 3-on-3 shooting percentage regression goes! (In real hockey, he has three goals on 11 shots on 3-on-3 for a shooting percentage of 33.33%.)

We didn’t get to see much of little Johnny Hockey with big Johnny Hockey, so sadly, he didn’t assist on any of his captain’s two goals. We did learn something a little disquieting, though…

Turns out Gaudreau has really awesome chemistry with Taylor Hall.

Former Flames Head Coach Darryl Sutter decided to have Gaudreau and Giordano play most often with Hall, and it paid off in the form of two goals and several other chances.

(Sportsnet, meanwhile, are NOT All-Stars for their complete inability to properly broadcast a game. Gaudreau is going on a breakaway? Better cut to some country singer!)

Hey, when you’re both two of the top players in the worst division in hockey, you gotta stick together, don’t you? Now imagine where the Battle of Alberta could be with competent coaching and management groups.

Yes. Surely, when the 3-on-3 tournament was announced, everybody was anticipating a 1-0 game. Twenty minutes of some of the most insane-paced hockey imaginable, and… one goal to show for it.

And it was genuinely exciting to watch. Players weren’t necessarily trying, really, but they were trying much more than we’ve ever seen them in the past. Corey Perry got the lone winner for the Pacific, though again, Gaudreau had a handful of breakaways he simply couldn’t bury the puck on. 

So yeah – we’re still going with Gaudreau being the most threatening player at 3-on-3, regardless of everything else that happened this weekend. He’s more than proved it time and time again.

But I have to say: watching the Atlantic do their best to tie the game up in the dying minute was genuinely nerve-wracking. It likely wouldn’t have been nearly as intense were the perfect ending for Scott not on the line, but that just played into the beauty that was the entire weekend.

And in the end, it wasn’t Gaudreau riding on anyone else’s shoulders, as would have been easiest – but Scott resting as king. (Not on Gaudreau’s shoulders, thankfully, but he was sitting on one of Giordano’s!)

In spite of the NHL’s best efforts, it was a fantastic weekend.