Danny Briere, Jonathan Toews, and Martin St. Louis scored during a four-minute span of the third period to lift Nicklas Lidstrom’s team past that of the hometown Carolina Hurricanes captain, 11-10, yesterday in the NHL All-Star Game.
Lidstrom can add this victory to the four Stanley Cup titles and six Norris trophies he has won with the Detroit Red Wings. In a game not known for defense, the stellar defenseman was a plus-7 and helped his team stage the biggest comeback in All-Star game history. Fellow defenseman Shea Weber of Nashville had four assists and was plus-6, and Dallas forward Loui Eriksson had two goals and two assists.
The Bruins [team stats]’ Tim Thomas [stats] stopped 11-of-15 shots in the third period and became the first goalie to earn the win in three consecutive All-Star games.
“I guess he picked the winning team. Pretty good night for Nicklas Lidstrom,” Staal said. “It’s fun to get to know him a little bit more . . . just doing this whole experience for the first time with him. He played a great game.”
Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos, the league leader with 38 goals, was Lidstrom’s first pick and second overall in the game’s first-ever fantasy draft. He scored the goal that made it 6-6 in the second period.
“I had a blast,” Stamkos said. “It started with fantasy draft. Obviously, it went well.”
Carolina’s Cam Ward, the first overall pick, could hardly be blamed for the four goals he gave up in the first. Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury also allowed four in the opening 20 minutes of a typically defenseless All-Star Game.
One consolation for the Team Staal: Chicago’s Patrick Sharp claimed MVP honors in a losing cause after he posted a goal and two assists. Staal’s club had a 4-0 lead in the first that was gone before the intermission, but led 8-7 edge after Kris Letang’s second goal early in the third.
Then Lidstrom’s club staged its second comeback and grabbed a late third-period lead — only to have Team Staal attempt a rally.
After Rick Nash brought Team Staal within a goal with 4:49 remaining, Eriksson sealed it by scoring into an empty net at 18:49. That insurance was necessary because Staal gave the RBC Center one more reason to yell when he made it 11-10 with his fourth career All-Star goal with 34 seconds remaining.
Anaheim’s Jonas Hiller made acrobatic moves in the final five minutes of the second period to deny 18-year-old Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner and Columbus’ Nash. Hiller made his MVP pitch by finishing with 15 saves on 17 shots.
Staal and Skinner, the NHL’s youngest All-Star ever, were often fed the puck by teammates trying to get them a goal — or two — to please the hometown fans who alternately chanted their names.
In the third period, Alex Ovechkin tossed his stick in the path of Team Lidstrom’s Matt Duchene as the Colorado forward raced in on a breakaway. That move drew the only penalty of the game — the first All-Star penalty shot — given to Duchene against New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who made the stop.
Playing for Team Staal, Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara notched a pair of assists and was a plus-1 in 21:07 — the fifth-highest ice time in the game.
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