This weekend sees the top players from all four divisions of the National Hockey League converge on Las Vegas for the 2022 NHL All-Star matches.
The matches are to be played at the T-Mobile Arena, home to the Vegas Golden Knights.
This will be the first time the Golden Knights have hosted the event. The full schedule details are:-
Please check out our Las Vegas NHL Betting Odds page for more NHL betting info!
Prior to Saturday’s main course, there’s an action-packed starter on Friday night. Spectators are to be entertained with a Skills Competition, where titles such as the Fastest Skater, Hardest Shot, etc, will be contested.
But it’s Saturday at 3 pm when the main event starts. In total there are three matches; two knock-out semi-final matches, followed by the final.
The 2022 All-Star match is actually three matches. The new format has been in place for five years now and replaces the old one-match format.
They may be exhibition matches, but they have kudos and they do mean something to the guys who get picked.
For any NHL player, getting picked to represent your division is a great accolade and looks good on your CV.
It’s also an event that sees the proceeds raised go towards the players’ pension funds, so no player takes it lightly.
For those not familiar with the All-Star matches, they are contested by sides made up of the NHL’s four divisions.
The best 11 players, made up of nine skaters and two goaltenders from all four divisions will take part. They will play in the now-familiar 3-on-3 format.
In the 5-year history that the All-Star match has been contested using this format, the record reads; Pacific 3 Wins, Metropolitan 2 Wins, Atlantic 0, Central 0.
The most recent winners were the Pacific, who beat the Atlantic Division 5-4 in 2020 final. There was no event in 2021 due to the covid pandemic.
The four divisional rosters are:-
Metropolitan; Sebastian Aho, Claude Giroux, Jake Guentzel, Jack Hughes, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Chris Kreider, Alex Ovechkin, Adam Pelech, Zach Werenski, Frederik Andersen, and Tristan Jarry.
Atlantic; Patrice Bergeron, Jonathan Huberdeau, Dylan Larkin, Auston Matthews, Steven Stamkos, Nick Suzuki, Brady Tkachuk, Rasmus Dahlin, Victor Hedman, Jack Campbell, Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Central; Kyle Connor, Alex DeBrincat, Nazem Kadri, Kirill Kaprizov, Clayton Keller, Jordan Kyrou, Joe Pavelski, Roman Josi, Cale Makar, Juuse Saros, Cam Talbot,
Pacific; Leon Draisaitl, Jordan Eberle, Johnny Gaudreau, Adrian Kempe, Connor McDavid, Timo Meier, Mark Stone, Troy Terry, Alex Pietrangelo, John Gibson, Thatcher Demko.
With the All-Star match not being a regular team event, there is no current team form to go on.
We can look at history and see that two teams have won using this format, and two haven’t. But, besides that, and the player’s form for their franchises, there is nothing much to go on.
| 2022 NHL All-Star Winner Odds |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Central | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Metropolitan | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Pacific | TBA | TBA | TBA |
With this in mind, I would recommend visiting our online betting sites page and selecting one of the many great bonus offers on there.
Using a bonus offer on an event that isn’t easy to predict makes far more sense. It reduces the risk and protects our hard-earned money more.
So, do you want to have a bet on the 2022 NHL All-Stars game? Of course, you do, so let’s look at the teams, access their chances, and give you our betting picks!
I’m going for my main pick, and a saver pick. The saver pick is the smaller of my bets and will cover the cost of my main pick. This gives us a break-even chance.
The two times winner in this current format is captained by Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals.
Except for Ovechkin (this will be his eighth time as an All-Star) and Claude Giroux (this will be his seventh appearance), this is an inexperienced team.
Three players will be making their All-Star debuts. While the other six on the roster will be playing for the second time.
I feel with all that inexperience, winning a third title will be hard going for the Metropolitan team.
The Atlantic Division side will be captained by the Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews, who is making his fourth All-Star appearance.
Six of their roster represents the top three sides in the division, Florida Panthers (1), Tampa Bay (3), and Toronto (2).
This weekend represents an outstanding opportunity for the division coached by Andrew Brunette (also Florida) to win their first title in the current format.
I’m making the Atlantic Division team my first betting pick to win the 2022 All-Star competition.
Coach Jared Bednar has already been hit with the blow that Nathan MacKinnon is out with the concussion and broken nose he sustained against the Boston Bruins last week.
This is a huge loss with MacKinnon in great form this season, having contributed 9 goals and 34 assists in his 31 matches to date.
What looked like a long shot, now looks even more difficult as the Central Division team looks to win their first All-Star title under this format.
Connor McDavid makes his fifth appearance as an All-Star, and the Edmonton Oilers’ Captain and Center is also the fans’ pick to captain the Pacific Division.
There are only two home favorites from the Vegas Golden Knights for the fans to cheer on, Alex Pietrangelo and Mark Stone. Nevertheless, the three times (record) winners in the current format look like the team to beat.
I’m making the Pacific Division my saver pick to win the All-Star competition.
