Barzal to Compete in Four Events at NHL Skills Competition

Mathew Barzal will participate in four events at the NHL All-Star Skills competition on Friday night.

Barzal will compete in the following:

• Fastenal NHL Fastest Skater
• Scotiabank NHL Passing Challenge
• Tim Hortons NHL One Timers
• Upper Deck NHL Stick Handling

Fans can watch the 2024 NHL All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook (ESPN, ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET. See below for event descriptions and information.

Fastenal NHL Fastest Skater

Barzal won the fastest skater competition in 2020 with a time of 13.175, beating out Connor McDavid’s time of 13.215 seconds. The other events will be new for Barzal, but fit his skill set.

Scotiabank NHL Passing Challenge

The Scotiabank NHL Passing Challenge will test Barzal’s passing ability, as he dishes to targets spread throughout the rink. Each target carries a point value and the player with the most points wins the event.

Since his rookie year in 2017-18, Barzal’s 295 assists rank 22^nd around the NHL.

Tim Hortons NHL One Timers

The Tim Hortons NHL One Timers challenge will test Barzal’s one-timer accuracy. Placement is the goal here instead of power and while Barzal is usually the one dishing one-timers, he’s buried a couple this season in wins over Arizona and Anaheim, respectively. Participants will attempt three one timers from three designated positions on the ice in this challenge, with points distributed for puck placement.

Upper Deck NHL Stick Handling

The Upper Deck NHL Stick Handling will put Barzal’s shifty stickhandling on display. Players will compete in three sub-challenges, toe dragging around an obstacle, stickhandling through a series of cones as well as a series of scattered pucks. The player who completes the stick handling challenge the fastest wins.

Barzal will not compete in the Rogers NHL Hardest Shot or the Cheetos NHL Accuracy Shooting competitions.

Barzal is one of 12 players featured in the revamped skills competition. All 12 players must compete in four of the first six events, with the top eight contestants advancing to the NHL Honda Shootout, a one-on-one showdown against a goalie of their choosing. The top six contestants will advance to the Pepsi NHL Obstacle Course, where point values are doubled.

The player with the most points at the end of the competition will take home $1M.