theScore's guide to the 2022 NHL All-Star Skills Competition

The 2022 NHL All-Star Skills Competition is upon us, and theScore has you covered. Below, we explain each event, introduce the participants, and predict the winners.

Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
When: Friday, Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: Sportsnet, TVA Sports (Canada); ESPN (United States)

Fastest Skater Scott Rovak / National Hockey League / Getty

In one of the marquee events of the skills competition, players will be timed for one full lap around the rink. Each skater can choose the direction of his lap and can start up to three feet behind the starting line.

Participants

• Chris Kreider, New York Rangers
• Adrian Kempe, Los Angeles Kings
• Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets
• Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals
• Jordan Kyrou, St. Louis Blues
• Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings
• Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
• Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

McDavid enters as the heavy favorite after winning three consecutive titles from 2017-19. Larkin, however, set the record with a blistering lap of 13.172 seconds in 2016.

2020 winner: Mathew Barzal
Prediction: How can you bet against McDavid?

Save Streak Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / Getty

All eight goalies and 36 skaters will partake in this shootout-style event as the goalies compete to make the most consecutive saves.

Participants

• Jack Campbell, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
• Frederik Andersen, Carolina Hurricanes
• Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins
• Cam Talbot, Minnesota Wild
• Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators
• Thatcher Demko, Vancouver Canucks
• John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks

2020 winner: Jordan Binnington
Prediction: Vasilevskiy, who ranks second behind Linus Ullmark among active goalies in career shootout save percentage.

Fountain Face-Off Ethan Miller / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty

This is one of two Vegas-inspired events the NHL is unveiling at this year's skills competition. Taking place on the iconic Bellagio Fountains, players will travel by boat to the "rink" and shoot pucks at five targets as quickly as possible. Fountain spray and winds off the Strip should make this extra challenging.

Participants

• Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
• Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers
• Jordan Eberle, Seattle Kraken
• Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson, former U.S. Olympian
• Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
• Nick Suzuki, Montreal Canadiens
• Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets
• Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights

Prediction: Stone. Why not go with the crowd favorite?

Hardest Shot Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty

One of the most iconic events of the skills competition will see each participant get two attempts to blast the puck into the net from 30 feet away. If a stick breaks, that player gets another attempt. This year's field has shrunk to four.

Participants

• Adam Pelech, New York Islanders
• Timo Meier, San Jose Sharks
• Victor Hedman, Lightning
• Tom Wilson, Capitals

Shea Weber and Zdeno Chara won nine of the last 11 titles in this challenge, so there will be a changing of the guard.

2020 winner: Shea Weber
Prediction: Hedman, whose 6-foot-6 frame should give him a big advantage.

Breakaway Challenge Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty

This event returns for the first time since 2016. It's produced some very memorable moments, many of which featured Alex Ovechkin during his three-year reign as champion from 2008-11 (there was no skills competition in 2010).

Each player will take two shots, and a panel of judges will rate each attempt in what's essentially the NHL's version of the NBA's Slam Dunk contest. Competitors are rewarded for creativity, not effectiveness or practicality.

Manon Rheaume and Wyatt Russell will serve as celebrity goalies.

Participants

• Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild
• Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks
• Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
• Alex DeBrincat, Chicago Blackhawks
• Alex Pietrangelo, Vegas Golden Knights

All eyes will be on Zegras, who's become a must-watch player after pulling off both a Michigan and a Dishigan as a rookie. He's in Vegas this weekend strictly for this event.

2016 winner: P.K. Subban
Prediction: Zegras, but don't sleep on Pietrangelo, who will aim to impress the hometown crowd.

21 in '22 NurPhoto / NurPhoto / Getty

The second of two locally inspired events will take place on Las Vegas Boulevard. Players will fire pucks at a deck of oversized cards on a rack and try to achieve a hand of 21 without going over - while taking the fewest shots possible. The player who wins two rounds is crowned "Puck Shark."

Participants

• Nazem Kadri, Colorado Avalanche
• Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Joe Pavelski, Dallas Stars
• Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning
• Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators

Prediction: Matthews, who has a flair for the dramatic and a deadly accurate shot.

Accuracy Shooting Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / Getty

This event was an unmitigated disaster during the last skills competition. The league decided to use digital targets, which proved extremely unreliable and undermined the event.

But hockey fans can rejoice knowing exploding Styrofoam targets are back. The player who hits all four targets the fastest wins.

Participants

• Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
• Clayton Keller, Arizona Coyotes
• Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
• Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes
• Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh Penguins
• Troy Terry, Anaheim Ducks
• Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames
• Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
• Jonathan Marchessault, Vegas Golden Knights

This competition requires both an accurate shot and a cool head. In front of a packed house, competitors can get easily rattled in this event.

2020 winner: Jaccob Slavin
Prediction: Bergeron, the most seasoned member of the field.

Copyright (C) 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.