Sidney Crosby scored two goals and added three assists in the final game to capture MVP honors as the Metropolitan Division took down the Central Division 10-5 to win the 2019 NHL All-Star Game in San Jose and the million dollar prize that went with it.
Keith Yandle drew an assist on John Tavares’ goal which put the Atlantic Division up 4-3 early in the second half of the semifinal game, but the Metropolitan scored four straight times to ring up a 7-4 win.
Yandle logged 5:52 TOI, had two shots on goal and finished the game with an evening rating.
In the first semifinal, the Central Division abused Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson (for seven? eight goals? – I couldn’t keep up) and the host Pacific team by a 10-4 count.
In AHL action, the Springfield Thunderbirds suffered a costly 3-2 loss to the Providence Bruins. The P-Bruins climbed into fourth place in the Atlantic Division while the T-Birds dropped into fifth and out of a playoff spot.
Ryan Horvat opened the scoring, from Jonathan Ang and Tomas Jurco, with his first of the season to give Springfield the lead 5:30 into the game.
Providence countered with a power-play goal from Mark MacNeill at the 9:27 mark.
Dryden Hunt notched his seventeenth goal with 2:53 left in the frame to put the Thunderbirds back on top. Helpers went to Mike Mangene and Ludwig Bystrom.
The score remained the same until Gemel Smith’s power-play mark 1:17 into the third.
Zach Senyshyn bagged the game-winner with 7:30 left in regulation with Smith getting the primary assist and Jakub Zboril the secondary.
Samuel Montembeault held the T-Birds in the game with a 40-save effort, but it was not enough as Providence keeper Zane McIntyre blanked them the final two periods.