Columbus put on a show for the record books, hosting this years NHL All-Star game.
With a combined total goals scored of 29, the 2015 ASG set a new NHL record for most goals in an ASG, beating the previous record of 26 in 2001. Team Toews broke the single team record with 17 goals (16 in 1993). And the second period’s 11 goals broke the record for most in a period. (10 in 2009).
With all the goals being scored, the goalies still had a smile on their face, as they knew the fans wanted to see offense. “It was obviously focused on offense, which was nice. Fans come to see goals. Some fans come to see nice saves too. We mixed in a few of those, and it was a good day all in all.” Said Team Toews goalie Roberto Luongo.
John Tavares joined a pretty exclusive club after netting his fourth goal of the night, becoming the sixth player in NHL ASG history to do so. He joined the ranks of Wayne Gretzky (1983) and Mario Lemieux (1990), as well as Mike Gartner (1991), Vincent Damphousse (1993) and Dany Heatley (2003).
Jakub Voracek‘s six points off of a hat trick and three assists tied Lemieux’s record for most points in an ASG. “I think it’s a little different, Voracek and Lemieux, right?” a humble Voracek said. “I had three secondary assists, so I wouldn’t get too excited about that.”
The big team stat of the night, everyone on Team Toews recorded at least one point.
“It was fun to just have the puck and make some plays,” Toews said. “That’s what we were trying to do, and it ended up in the back of the net more often than not. [Rick Nash] and Jake [Voracek] were doing a great job of finishing off plays, and I was lucky enough to be in on those plays too. We were just having fun out there.”
Hometown favorite Ryan Johansen had the crowds going all weekend, during the skills competition and more importantly the ASG. Johansen added a pair of goals and assists that got the arena amped up for each one.
In the end Team Toews won the high scoring game 17-12, on 47 shots.
“It’s been really cool,” Johansen said. “It hasn’t hit me yet for sure, and this is something I’ll remember for a very long time. We’ve just been really enjoying every moment of this weekend, and just being in Columbus and in front of our fans and our first game, it really has been a very special weekend and something we’ll remember for a long time.”
The NHL has a break/travel day today before getting back to their full slate of games tomorrow. No word yet if any of the games out east have been cancelled due to the blizzard.
Photo Credit: USAToday
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