National Hockey League
Pacific 5, Atlantic 4
When: 10:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 25, 2020
Where: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Referees: Francois St. Laurent, Justin St. Pierre
Linesmen: Michel Cormier, Bryan Pancich
Attendance: 18112

San Jose Sharks forward Tomas Hertl scored the game-winning goal as Team Pacific defeated Team Atlantic 5-4 to win the NHL All-Star Game on Saturday night in St. Louis.

Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson scored twice in the victory and Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl had a goal and an assist.

David Pastrnak and Jonathan Huberdeau had each a goal and an assist for Atlantic. Pastrnak was named the event's MVP with four goals and two assists over his two games.

"We all wanted to win at the end of the day. Too bad we didn't," Pastrnak told reporters after the game. "I don't even know how they got votes in. I would expect the winner to be the MVP, the winning team. If it was voted in by fans, I appreciate the love. Probably wasn't any fans from the St. Louis building. Whoever voted, I appreciate it, I appreciate the love."

"He's our MVP on a lot of nights, too, so I'm used to see him going to work," Atlantic/Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters. "He got to play with good players, score a few goals. Too bad we came up a little short."

The event featured four divisional teams playing 3-on-3 games with two 10-minute periods.

The title game was more tightly contested than the wide-open semifinal games. Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen stopped seven of eight shots as the Atlantic built a 3-1 first-period lead.

Pacific battled back in the second period to tie the game 3-3 and later take the lead 5-4 on Hertl's goal with 2:36 left.

In the semifinals, the Atlantic defeated Team Metropolitan 9-5, and the Pacific beat Team Central 10-5.

In the first semifinal, the Metropolitan forged a 5-4 second-period lead, then the Atlantic scored five unanswered goals -- the last two into an empty net -- to advance to the final.

Pastrnak and Ottawa Senators forward Anthony Duclair each scored a hat trick and added an assist for the winners. Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman had a goal and three assists, and Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped six of seven shots in the second period.

The Metropolitan was led by New Jersey Devils forward Nico Hischier (two goals, one assist), Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones (one goal, three assists) and Philadelphia Flyers forward Travis Konecny (three assists).

In the second semifinal, the Pacific broke a 4-4 tie with a dominant second period -- outscoring the Central 6-1 to advance to the final. Hertl scored four goals, including the final three of the second period, to lead the attack.

"I thought Tomas Hertl was really good, he played defense," Pacific/Arizona head coach Rick Tocchet said. "I said, 'You're the next Brent Burns.' I thought he was the next Brent Burns out there, he was awesome for us."

Draisaitl (three goals, one assist), Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk (two goals, two assists) and Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes (goal, three assists) also starred offensively.

Flames goaltender David Rittich stopped nine of 10 shots in the second period to seal the victory and send Pacific to the final.

Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane scored twice for the Central, and forwards Mark Scheifele (Winnipeg Jets) and Tyler Seguin (Dallas Stars) each had a goal and an assist.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Atlantic   Pacific
Jonathan Huberdeau 2 Points Elias Pettersson 2
Jonathan Huberdeau 1 Goals Elias Pettersson 2
Jonathan Huberdeau 1 Assists Quinn Hughes 2
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Frederik Andersen .889 Save Percentage David Rittich .750
Frederik Andersen 8 Saves Jacob Markstrom 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Atlantic 11 4 0-0 0-0 0 6
Pacific 20 5 0-0 0-0 0 10