MONTREAL — When the Eastern Conference pulled out a 12-11 victory over the Western Conference in a shootout Sunday night, Boston’s Tim Thomas ended up as the fifth goaltender to get the win in the NHL All-Star Game in consecutive years.
Thomas allowed three goals on 19 shots in the third period, made three saves in the scoreless overtime and stopped the only two West shooters in the shootout — Phoenix’s Shane Doan and Columbus’ Rick Nash. All in all, that’s stingy work in the wide-open conditions of the All-Star Game.
The previous four back-to- back winners were Frank Brimsek (1947-48), Jacques Plante (1958-59), Johnny Bower (1961-62) and Martin Brodeur (1997-98).
The MVP.
For the East in the shootout, Montreal hometown boy Vincent Lecavalier of Tampa Bay couldn’t beat West goalie Roberto Luongo to open the proceedings, but then Montreal’s Alex Kovalev got what turned out to be the “game-winner” on a shot to Luongo’s glove side, and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin sealed it with a slick stickhandling move and a backhander.
Kovalev, who got both goals in the game on breakaways, one when he was cherry-picking but one off his own steal, also had an assist and won a sport utility vehicle for winning the MVP vote.
“You can’t ask for a better package than this,” Kovalev said. “Get voted in the All- Star Game by the fans, starting lineup, being the captain, the MVP. This is something you’re going to remember the rest of your life.”
Three-pointers.
Kovalev was one of 10 players with three points in the game. The others for the East were Florida defenseman Jay Bouwmeester (one goal, two assists), Ovechkin (1-2), Tampa Bay’s Martin St. Louis (2-1) and Boston center Marc Savard (0-3). For the West, that group included San Jose’s Patrick Marleau (1-2) and Joe Thornton (0-3), Colorado winger Milan Hejduk (1-2), Edmonton defenseman Sheldon Souray (2-1) and Columbus winger Rick Nash (1-2).
Terry Frei, The Denver Post
