The Pacific Division All-Star team, featuring former teammates with the Canucks Elias Pettersson and Bo Horvat, lost the first match of the NHL All-Star Game. The current Canuck and the former one played together in the 3-on-3 format, with the two hooking up on the squad’s second goal, Horvat finding Pettersson going to the net.
‘Petey’ had a Vancouver Canucks patch on his shoulder while Horvat skated with a New York Islanders patch on his.
Pettersson would score again with a wrist shot in the closing minutes.
The Central Division won the opening twenty minute game, made up of two ten-minute halves, by a final score of 6-4
The Central Division will go on to face the winner of the Metro Division – Atlantic Division match-up.
Canucks Separate
Pettersson and Horvat will now head their separate ways until they meet again as adversaries on Long Island Thursday night. That’s when the Canucks visit the Islanders.
It’ll be busy leading up to that match-up for both guys, as they head to greater Gotham before this weekend is out. The Isles will get together and skate Sunday before playing in Philadelphia against the Flyers on Monday night, while the Canucks will be playing in Newark against the New Jersey Devils.
Before the head-on-head on Thursday, the Islanders will be at it again, hosting the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night while the Canucks will play the New York Rangers on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.
Regardless of the potential three-games-in-four nights fatigue for both clubs, the match-up of Canucks vs. their former captain should be intense.
While obvious emotion will be a factor, the Islanders are also in the hunt for an Eastern Conference playoff spot. They’re presently two points out.
Pettersson and Horvat missed out on making a little bonus money. In an effort to assure player attendance and spice things up, the NHL switched to the 3-on-3 All-Star format in 2016 and added a $1-million, winner-take-all prize for the winning team.
