Photos, Videos: Kopitar, Doughty at All-Star Skills Competition

News, notes, sights and sounds from the NHL All-Star Skills Competition…

Let’s start with the famed GEICO Save Streak:

The accuracy shooting contest, despite a lack of breakable plates in the current format, has been a fixture of the skills competition. This was the drill that when LAKI was a seven-year-old hockey-in-the-hallway veteran, he would stack wooden blocks in front of a plastic goal and try to knock them down by shooting foam pucks from a plastic stick he bought at The Forum. “Good job, Jonny,” his babysitter would say between yawns after 90 minutes of supervising. Anze Kopitar didn’t have the greatest luck in this drill last night, but HEY, THAT’S NOT FAIR, THE TARGET LITERALLY CHANGED COLOR WHILE THE PUCK WAS IN THE AIR.

And, lo, Drew Doughty in the passing challenge:

Brandon Prust said it well:

. @dewyy8 needs 9 other ppl on the ice skating around distracting him to be the best passer! It’s crazy how some ppl excel way better with pressure

— Brandon Prust (@BrandonPrust8) January 28, 2018

T-Rex doesn’t want to be fed. He wants to hunt. More from Drew:, via the NHL Network:

Actual News: The All-Star Game will return to California for the second time in three seasons when San Jose hosts the event next season. (NHL.com) ||| Gary Bettman discusses the Olympics, Seattle’s expansion bid and goaltender interference. (Sportsnet) ||| Could you imagine a U.S. team with Auston Matthews, Johnny Gaudreau, Brock Boeser and, well, Patrick Kane? NHL All-Stars are disappointed that they won’t be able to participate in the Olympics this year. (LA Times)

Photos from the skills competition and media day: (lead photo via Dave Sanford/NHLI)