Rivals Crosby and Ovechkin relish being All-Star teammates Red Wings sign Olli Maatta to 2-year, $6 million extension Alex Ovechkin away from Capitals due to death of his father Bruins’ Linus Ullmark is NHL’s biggest goalie surprise this season Senators’ Anton Forsberg out indefinitely with MCL tear in both knees

SUNRISE, Florida – Sidney Crosby And Alexey Ovechkin since breaking into the NHL together in 2005, they have played dozens of regular season and playoff games against each other.

The longtime rivals and respective captains of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals have already shared the ice in the All-Star Game. But when every superstar is over 30, they know that this trip could be their last together.

They capitalized on it: Ovechkin scored two goals against Crosby on Saturday in the only game of their Capital Division All-Star 3-on-3 tournament.

“I think we have fun playing together, not against each other,” Ovechkin said, flashing a gap-toothed smile. “We were on the same team right now and it was a pretty special, pretty good moment.”

Crosby, who also made a minor pass to Ovechkin’s goal, did not expect to return the puck. This is not unreasonable given that Ovechkin has built a career on scoring and is only 82 goals behind Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record.

“I thought I just did my job: I gave it to him,” said Crosby, whose career numbers are so close to those of Ovechkin that he only has five points more. “I thought he was just going to finish it, but he was kind enough to send me a couple back. We had some good goals.”

Not enough to win a 3v3 semi-final against Atlantic, who had beaten Central in the final. Ovechkin lamented he didn’t score more and landed several shots on his fellow goalkeepers throughout the day: compatriots Igor Shesterkin New York Rangers and Ilya Sorokin from the islanders.

“Obviously, the goalkeeper could have played better,” Ovechkin said.

Crosby and Ovechkin together at the All-Star Game for the first time since 2018 became one of the weekend’s themes, considering they’ve shared the stage as faces of the NHL for most of their careers. But they don’t want it to be Sid and Ovi’s swan song, and they could do it again next year when Toronto is celebrating.

“You’re trying to get outside and have fun and stay in the moment,” Crosby said. “I hope this is not our last work. This is the best way to approach it.”

HEROICS OF THE HOME TOWN

Introduction for Alexander Barkov And Matthew Tkachuk have been saved for the last.

And, of course, the two Florida Panthers stars representing the Atlantic Division performed at their home arena.

“We play regular season and playoff games here, but this event makes it even more special to be here representing the Florida Panthers,” Barkov said.

Tkachuk was clearly comfortable playing in the same arena where he scored 66 points (sixth in the NHL) this season with the Panthers. He had seven points (four goals, three assists) on Saturday, including a goal and an assist in the Atlantic Division’s 7-5 victory over the Central Division to win the All-Star Game title.

Tkachuk scored a hat-trick and a couple of assists in Atlantic’s semi-final against the Capital Division, setting a single-game points record for an All-Star 3-on-3 format. Two of those goals were scored by his Panthers teammate to give his team a 10-6 victory and advance to the Central Division final.

By the time Barkov and Tkachuk reached the final of the All-Star Game, Panthers Go! applause resounded throughout the FLA Live Arena.

Barkov, the Panthers’ favorite in his 10th season, has scored 14 goals and 33 assists this year. He has 234 career goals and 600 points.

BROTHERLY LOVE

Brothers Matvey Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk played a lot against each other over the years. But as both players went to the Atlantic Division, they gained experience playing together as the 11th set of brothers to become All-Star teammates.

The brothers each scored a goal in Saturday’s semi-final between the Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions. And Brady assisted his brother’s goal in the final against the Central Division.

Drafted in 2016 by the Calgary Flames, Matthew is a two-time All-Star with 177 career goals and 448 points.

Brady, Tkachuk’s younger brother, was selected in 2018 by the Ottawa Senators with 110 career goals and 243 points.

Both were All-Stars back in 2020 in their hometown of St. Louis. Brady represented the Atlantic Division and Matthew represented the Pacific Team.

WEATHER PROBLEMS

When the All-Star 3 on-3 tournament began, it was 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 Celsius) outside the FLA Live Arena – more than 50 degrees warmer than Toronto hosting in 2024. This does not mean that this year’s event did not have problems with the weather.

The NHL All-Star Beach Festival, where fans could test their hockey skills, take pictures with the Stanley Cup and view the Hockey Hall of Fame exhibit, among other things, could not open on Saturday.

Rain delayed the opening at Fort Lauderdale Beach that morning, and then later that same day, 40 mph (64 kph) winds forced the NHL to keep it closed and cancel the All-Star Game watch party.

It was open on Thursday and Friday.

DETROIT – Detroit Red Wings sign defenseman Ollie Myaetta to a two-year, $6 million extension to keep his contract through the 2024–25 season.

The Red Wings announced the deal two weeks before the NHL trade deadline.

Maatta scored five goals and 17 points this season, a first for Detroit, coming into the game in Calgary. The 28-year-old Finn has previously played for Pittsburgh, Chicago and Los Angeles.

He scored five goals and 27 points in 85 playoff games to help the Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017.

Captain Washington Capitals Alexey Ovechkin says that his father, Michael, died at 71.

Ovechkin broke the news on social media along with family photos and videos.

“My father passed away today,” Ovechkin wrote in Russian on his Instagram account. “I thank everyone for their support, but please be understanding and do not disturb my family at such a difficult time for us! Thank you.”

Ovechkin left the Capitals to deal with what the team called a family health issue. Trainer Peter Laviolette said he expected Ovechkin to be out at least until the end of the week and for the foreseeable future.

“Life is hard,” Laviolette said. “When it comes to your family and parents, that’s what matters. He’s going to sort things out right now and we’ll support him.”

Ovechkin’s father has not been in Washington in recent years, dealing with health problems at home in Moscow. Prior to that, Mikhail had known each other at the Capitals’ training base and at games, watching his son.

“Mr. Ovechkin was a true gentleman and was a constant presence at Capitals games and practices,” the team said in a statement. “With a permanent smile on his face, he enjoyed interacting with our fans and expressing his gratitude to them for supporting his son, whom he was incredibly proud of. .

“Our organization’s thoughts with the Ovechkin family during this difficult time.”

Having just signed a four-year, $20 million contract, Linus Ulmark shared the net with a newcomer. Jeremy Swayman and then, briefly, with Tuukka Rask, a cornerstone of the organization who was trying to come back from hip surgery. Ullmark conceded eight goals in two playoff games before succumbing to Swaimane’s starter spot and leaving in the off-season of change unsure what his role would be.

Turns out he’s stellar as the best goaltender in the NHL.

Ullmark leads the league in wins, save percentage and goals average, which is one of the main reasons the Bruins lead the league table and keep pace with the best regular season in NHL history. Along with other stars Stuart Skinner And Logan Thompsonwho respectively have the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights on their way to the playoffs, Ulmark tops the list of the season’s biggest goalie surprises.

“He stood on his head” – Bruins top scorer and MVP candidate. to David Pastr said. “He plays incredible. To be honest, this year it’s just fun to watch. He plays confidently. He is big. He’s very confident online and he’s having a special year.”

Ullmark thinks he feels more comfortable in his new surroundings, and it shows in his game: he has already set a career high with 26 wins, his .937 shooting percentage is more than 10 points higher than his next closest competitor, and his GPA of 1.90 would have been higher. be the lowest among goaltenders who have played 40 games or more since Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur in 1997-98.

The 29-year-old Swede has thought a lot about what has changed in his game, and it’s hard for him to pinpoint it. Feeling “at home” in Boston is one of many things.

“I just think it’s just little pieces here and there that just fall into place,” Ullmark said. “We also have a great team and it goes hand in hand with my work as well as Sway’s work. This is not just a one man show. It’s team work.”

Bruins lead Eastern Conference after 38 Pastrnak goals, captain Patrice Bergeronbilateral dominance at the age of 37 and the training of rookie Jim Montgomery. But Bruce Cassidy, who was fired after coaching Boston to six playoff games, called Ullmark’s appearance “big” when asked about his former team’s permanence.

“He finished last year really well, and he carried that over to this year,” Cassidy said. “Now you are creating competition for Swain in this position. I think it’s a great thing for Boston.”

Cassidy, who is now on the bench with the Golden Knights, put Thompson in first place after Vegas found out about it late in the offseason. Robin Lehner will be out for a season in rehab after hip surgery.

Thompson, who took the lead last season through injury, won 20 of his first 35 starts this season before being sidelined himself last week. So far unfinished…