Even though the Vegas Golden Knights goalie gave up three goals for the Pacific Division in a 6-4 loss to the Central Division in the first semifinal at FLA Live Arena on Saturday, Thompson was honored to be among the best players in the League.
"This was never on my radar, neither was the NHL," Thompson said. "It's been a lot of fun and it definitely builds the confidence for sure."
Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy, who was behind the bench for the Pacific, hopes Thompson can use this weekend as momentum for the rest of the season. Thompson is 19-13-3 with a 2.69 goals-against average and .913 save percentage in 35 games (34 starts).
"I hope he feels like he truly belongs," Cassidy said. "And he carries that into his play into the second half."
The Golden Knights (29-18-4) are third in the Pacific, but are 2-6-2 in their past 10 games.
"We kinda stumbled into it at the end," Cassidy said. "I didn't think we were playing poorly. I thought we started defending better and had some tough luck losses, some games that we would finish previously, we just weren't finishing. I think the break was perfect timing for them, allowed them to take a breather, reset.
"We're still in a good position, that's the way we look at it. There's not too many teams that can cruise home the last 30 games in this league, and we're certainly not one of them. "
The Golden Knights play at the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. Forward Chandler Stephenson, who also played in his first NHL All-Star Game, believes a fast start is the best way to begin a strong push for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"I think guys realize how hard it is to get in [the playoffs]," Stephenson said. "Can't take a night off or take it for granted or think it's going to be easy."
Vegas will have to get it done without captain Mark Stone, who was injured against the Florida Panthers on Jan. 12. He is out indefinitely after having back surgery earlier in the week.
"We're going to miss [Stone] on the ice," Cassidy said. "He's plays in every situation."
Cassidy said he still feels good about team leadership, mentioning forwards Stephenson and Jack Eichel, and defensemen Alec Martinez and Alex Pietrangelo as players he expects to step up in greater roles in Stone's absence.
"When you've got your captain and your leader out, everyone needs to be better," Stephenson said. "I think we as a team take pride in lifting each other up and playing for one another. {It's] just playing with the swagger we've always had and getting back to that."
