The skills challenge relay, a new event added for 2012, featured 16 players from each team and highlights a range of skills such as passing, puck control, accuracy, and one-timers.
NHL Skills Competition 2012: Led By Henrik Sedin, Team Alfredsson Adds Two Points With Relay Skills Victory
Team Chara led off, with the Capitals' Dennis Wideman rocketing one-timers from the blue line. Jarome Iginla came next, shooting one timers from the top of the circle and then passing it off to Joffrey Lupul, who was forced to take his shots from the bad angle down low. Patrick Kane represented Team Chara in the passing accuracy portion making cross-ice passes into mini-customized nets about a foot wide. Kane was forced to make skip passes over a small rail for the second half of the challenge. Pavel Datsyuk and Gabriel Landeskog ran the weave, with Datsyuk pirouetting around the pylons and Landeskog stick-handling. Marian Hossa rounded out the relay with the accuracy challenge, breaking all four targets and giving Team Chara a total time of 2:45.
Shea Weber led off for Team Alfredsson with one-timers from the blue line. Kris Letang followed with one timers from the top of the circle, burying three of four attempts. Steven Stamkos finished off the one timer portion, struggling to find the back of the net three times from the bad angle. Henrik Sedin was incredible on the passing accuracy portion, quickly finding the back of the mini-nets after Kane was mercy-ruled during the same part of the relay for Team Chara. Sedin’s passing was a highlight of the relay.
Milan Michalek and Logan Coutoure ran the weave and James Neal finished off the accuracy shooting portion to give Team Alfredsson the point with a time of 2:25. Sedin’s passing work was the difference in the first round.
In group two, Team Chara needed only 10 shots to get nine one-timer goals, as Jordan Eberle’s passes were right on the money to Dion Phaneuf, Zdeno Chara, and Jamie Benn. Kimmo Timonen struggled with the passing accuracy, before handing it off to Rapheal Diaz to control the puck through the weave. Evgeni Malkin flew through the stick handling course and then Phil Kesell finished it off breaking all four shot targets for a final time of 2:14.
The left-handed group two for Team Alfredsson took a little longer to complete their one-timers, with John Tavares struggling from the bad angle shot down low. Daniel Sedin could not match the success of the passing accuracy his brother Henrik showed in round one, as Team Alfredsson fell behind halfway through the relay. But Craig Smith, Claude Giroux, and Jason Pominvile would make it up over the final three events to beat Team Chara with a time of 2:08. Smith's quick work through the pylons of the puck control course was particularly impressive.
Team Alfredsson now leads 8-6.
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