Lost in the excitement of an Atlantic Division win, Mitch Marner breaks All-Star game record
After the skills competition on Friday night, all focus shifted to the 3-on-3 All-Star game on Saturday, which has become a fan favourite. The mini-tournament resulted in an Atlantic Division win, which was the first for the division since the NHL adopted the current format back in 2016. Headlining the win was Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner, who broke the record for assists during the tournament in the 3-on-3 format era.
Marner notched six assists in two games, beating out the previous best of five shared by Ryan O'Reilly (5 in 2019), Roman Josi (5 in 2019), and Quinn Hughes (5 in 2020). In his accomplishment, Marner tallied three assists in the Atlantic Division's 10-6 win over the Metropolitan Division in the qualifying round, then added three more in the Atlantic's 7-5 win over the Central in the final.
At the All-Star Game, as expected, players have a ton of weapons to feed the puck to. On the Atlantic Division team, undoubtedly the best division in the NHL, Marner had all the resources to thrive in the area he's best at; playmaking and production. Throughout both games, Marner closely connected with Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin, as Larkin scored a hat-trick in the final. Marner would also help convert on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov's goal in the final, solidifying an Atlantic Division win and a $1 million cash prize.
As the weekend festivities have come to a close, Marner and the Leafs hit the ice again on Thursday, where their first official practice will be underway. The Leafs return to game action the next day, on February 10th, in Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets.
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 5 | 405 ANSWERS Lost in the excitement of an Atlantic Division win, Mitch Marner breaks All-Star game record Is the Atlantic Division the best division in hockey? | ||
| Yes, for sure it is | 359 | 88.6 % |
| No, I don't think so | 46 | 11.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
