NHL All-Star Game a time to rest and refocus for coming battles
Chris Kreider of the Rangers with the puck during game against the Panthers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Credit: Errol Anderson
LAS VEGAS — All of the players assembled here for the NHL All-Star Game seem legitimately thrilled to have been included in an exclusive group that features some of the best talent in hockey.
"It’s a huge honor to be here, just getting to know the guys,’’ Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech said at Friday’s media availability before the All-Star Skills competition at T-Mobile Arena later in the day. "There’s obviously a lot of the most talented players in the world here, so it’s very cool to be a part of.’’
But for most, the weekend in Las Vegas amounted to a brief respite — something akin to a truce of sorts — before the players return to the fierce battle to make the playoffs in the second half of the season.
Pelech, for instance, will be teammates on the Metropolitan Division squad with Rangers forward Chris Kreider. Kreider will wear the same uniform as Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson, who infamously body-slammed the Rangers’ Artemi Panarin late last season.
Then, when the weekend is over, they’ll all go back to competing for spots and positioning in the playoffs this spring.
For Pelech’s Islanders, it will be a desperate battle to dig themselves out of the hole they’re in and somehow earn a playoff spot. Pelech said he is confident that is possible. The Islanders have the most games remaining of any team in the league but currently sit 17 points behind the nearest wild-card spot.
"The second half of the year for us is going to be packed full of games,’’ he said. "We understand that we have to go on a roll here. We’re going to need to really put a streak together. And I think that with our group and the veteran core and everything, we’re going to depend on one another.
"And we’re going to hopefully give our best, right from the first game in Vancouver after the break, and go from there.’’
The perspective is a little different for the Rangers and Capitals, who find themselves jockeying for position at the top of the Metropolitan Division.
The Rangers are tied for the most points in the division (64) with the Hurricanes, who have played five fewer games. The Penguins are two points behind them. The Capitals are three points behind the Penguins and hold the first wild-card spot.
"It feels like no one else is dropping games, ever,’’ Kreider said with a laugh. "Everyone just keeps on winning . . . We’ve only seen the ’Canes once. We haven’t seen Pittsburgh. We’ve seen Washington once. So ultimately we’re going to have some very big games down the stretch.
"I mean, that’s fun. Those are games that you really want to play in and see how you compare and test yourself and ultimately learn what you need to do to be effective as a group [and] maybe things that you need to work on.’’
The Rangers and Capitals played each other on opening night (the Caps won, 5-1) and haven’t seen each other since. But Wilson said both teams are aware of what the other has been doing all season.
"I think you start score-watching a little bit earlier on in the year,’’ he said. "After you win a game, you look online and it seems like every Metro team just kind of keeps winning.
"But it’s fun. I mean, it’s competitive. They’ve built a great hockey team in New York. And we know when we’re playing a divisional opponent, it’s going to be a battle. So we’re looking forward to crunch time here towards the end of the year.’’
But for one weekend, Kreider and Wilson and Pelech can put aside the rivalries and the battles to come. On Saturday, they will be teammates on the Metropolitan Division squad for the All-Star Game, and they were all looking forward to the experience. They’re also looking forward to what will follow that.
"It’s a good time to reset for our entire [Rangers] group,’’ Kreider said. "We’ve played the [second-] most road games in the NHL right now of any team. Obviously, we didn’t have a lot of games postponed, but we’re going to have some long homestands down the stretch, and it’s a good time for us to rest and refocus.’’
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
