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New 3-on-3 format designed to draw the best talent from every division

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StaffordDrew Stafford, Winnipeg Jets
Stafford scored twice on eight shots and added an assist as the Jets ended their six-game skid with a 4-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks.


NilssonAnders Nilsson, Edmonton Oilers
Nilsson was in net for Wednesdays 4-3 overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, the third loss in his past four starts.


Which division will win the NHL's new 3-on-3 All-Star tournament format?

Craig Custance@CraigCustance: Guys, this contest might be over before it even begins. I grabbed the Central Division, not just hockey's best division in real life, but also the best pool of players from which to build a 3-on-3 tournament team. Here are my forwards: Patrick Kane (Chicago), Tyler Seguin (Dallas), Jamie Benn (Dallas), Blake Wheeler (Winnipeg), Vladimir Tarasenko (St. Louis) and Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado). I mean, c'mon. That group has everything: speed to burn; a ridiculous shot in Tarasenko; a little showtime out of Kane. My defense would feature Tyson Barrie (Colorado), John Klingberg (Dallas) and Duncan Keith (Chicago). No explanation needed for Keith, and Barrie and Klingberg might be two of the most dynamic defensemen in the West. My goalies help take care of the requirement to represent all teams in the division, featuring Pekka Rinne (Nashville) and Devan Dubnyk (Minnesota). 


Scott Burnside@ESPN_Burnside: Oh, the poor Pacific Division. Belittled by the media, beaten up by the rest of the league, and now the butt of jokes when it comes to the new All-Star Game format. And let's be honest: the Pacific, at least on paper, looks like it'll get buried when facing the deeper-by-a-country mile Central when the two square off during All-Star weekend. Why, Craig could barely contain himself as he rolled out the murderer's row of talent the Central will ice. However, now that I've been entrusted with selecting my own Pacific team (the Road Kills?), I'm going to bang the drum from now until the teams take the ice. Without further ado, here we go: Jonathan Quick of Los Angeles and Martin Jones of San Jose in goal; Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Arizona), Brent Burns (San Jose), Drew Doughty (L.A.) on defense; Taylor Hall (Edmonton), Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary), Daniel Sedin (Vancouver), Max Domi (Arizona), Corey Perry (Anaheim) and Tyler Toffoli (L.A.) on offense. This team may not have the profile and star power of Craig's vaunted Central Division, and we've got some kids with Domi, Gaudreau and Toffoli, but to us they look like a million bucks. Get it? Because there's a $1 million payout to the winning division. Oh, nevermind.


Joe McDonald@ESPNJoeMac: The Atlantic Division would dominate in this format. It's actually not even fair. In goal: Carey Price of Montreal and Ben Bishop of Tampa Bay. On offense, I would go with Max Pacioretty (Montreal), Patrice Bergeron (Boston), Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit), Jaromir Jagr (Florida), Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay) and Jack Eichel (Buffalo). On defense, I would have P.K. Subban (Montreal), Erik Karlsson (Ottawa) and Aaron Ekblad (Florida). As a sub, I would add Dion Phaneuf (Toronto) so all teams in the Atlantic would be represented. Bring it on, boys, because this team would dominate.


Pierre LeBrun@Real_ESPNLeBrun: I guess that leaves me with the Metropolitan Division: where I will start with the no-brainer decision in goal: Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers and Cory Schneider of New Jersey. Keeping in mind every team in the Metro has to be represented, here are my forwards: Brandon Saad (Columbus), John Tavares (NY Islanders), Claude Giroux (Philadelphia), Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh), Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh) and Alex Ovechkin (Washington). Now, presuming veterans like Crosby and Ovechkin might potentially opt out of All-Star weekend -- hey, they've done their duty, right? -- I would sub in Mats Zuccarello (NY Rangers) for one of them, at least, if they decide to pass. On defense, give me Justin Faulk (Carolina), who has done well by me in the World Famous Toronto Media Hacks Hockey Pool, plus John Carlson (Washington) and Kris Letang (Pittsburgh). I think Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh can use the break to rest his bones, and coach Alain Vigneault would surely agree. So there you have it, my Metro 3-on-3 All-Stars.


Sean McIndoe@DownGoesBrown: Man, this is a tough call. And that's not just because the 3-on-3 format is going to turn the whole thing into a crapshoot, and the consensus "worst" team going into the tournament will probably dominate. The Pacific looks like the weakest division on paper, but it will be fun to see Quick face more scoring chances on the opening shift than he usually sees in a full game in L.A. In the East, both teams are packed with top-end talent, but the eight-team divisions will suffer slightly more from the NHL's (ridiculous) edict that every team has to be represented, which will prevent the very best of the best from being picked. (Sorry, Dion.) So in the end, my pick to win it all is the Central, a division that's so stacked with talent that Craig put together a realistic team without even using All-Star mainstays like Jonathan Toews, Ryan Suter or Shea Weber. At this point, I think a Central Division 'B' Team could have a shot to win this thing. Craig's team may be unrealistic, in that it assumes the NHL won't screw this up by giving the host team way too many players like it always does, flooding the squad with Predators just to boost the local hype. But until that happens, the Central is my pick.


Around the league

• Media reports indicate the New York Islanders are actively trying to trade defenseman Travis Hamonic, who requested to be dealt before the season. 

• Blackhawks defenseman Andrew Desjardins was a healthy scratch for the third straight game Wednesday and is trying to get out of coach Joel Quenneville's doghouse. 

• Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta is expected to miss 3-4 weeks after being checked from behind in Tuesday's win over the Minnesota Wild. 

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