Huberdeau has 'a blast' at 2022 NHL All-Star Game

Jonathan Huberdeau is heading home from Las Vegas with a smile on his face.
Making his second trip to the NHL All-Star Weekend, the Panthers winger stood out among his fellow Atlantic Division stars by racking up a goal and an assist during an 8-5 loss to the Central Division in the semifinal of the 2022 NHL All-Star Game at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday.
"It was a blast," Huberdeau said of the event.

Trailing 1-0, Huberdeau evened things up for the Atlantic when he took a pass from Toronto's Auston Matthews and scored on Minnesota's Cam Talbot to make it 1-1 at 3:28 of the first half.
"By myself, just put it five-hole," Huberdeau said.

Returning the favor, Huberdeau then set up Matthews, who also finished the game with a goal and an assist, for a tap-in goal from the doorstep with his patented backhand pass to cut the Atlantic's deficit down to one goal and make it a 3-2 game with 41 seconds left in the first half.
"We found a little chemistry early, but couldn't find it after," Huberdeau chuckled.
In addition to Matthews, Huberdeau spent most of his time on the ice with Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman.
Teaming up with a cross-state rival?
That's what the All-Star Game is all about!
"When we're here we're all friends, but obviously when we play against Tampa we probably don't like them too much," said Huberdeau, flashing a big smile. "Everybody here is a really great person. It's great to hang out with these guys and get to know them all a little bit more."
Behind the Altantic's bench, Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette, who has his team sitting in first place in the division with a record of 32-10-5 at the break, also had a great time.
"It was a great experience," said Brunette, who spent 16 seasons in the NHL as a player before hanging up his skates in 2012. "Really fortunate to be in this position. Obviously our team is off to a great start. Great to be here. I never got here as a player, so it's fun to be here as a coach."

As for Huberdeau's performance, Brunette wasn't surprised to see him get on the scoresheet.
"I think he was having some fun playing with Auston," Brunette said. "I think he was looking forward to it. It was good to see him score and making those Huby plays."

With 64 points (17 goals, 47 assists), Huberdeau currently leads the NHL in scoring.
"That's a tribute to him and the work he's put in," Brunette said.
In the championship game, Claude Giroux, who was named MVP of the All-Star Game, scored two goals to lead the Metropolitan Division to a 5-3 win over the Central Division. Winning three times since the 3-on-3 format began back in 2016, the Metropolitan also won in 2017 and 2019.
As winners, Metropolitan players split a grand prize of $1 million.
With the 2023 NHL All-Star Game coming to South Florida, Huberdeau said he's looking forward to the Panthers kicking things up a notch when they host the event next season.
While the desert is nice, nothing beats the beach.
"I'm really excited," Huberdeau said. "Obviously it's a cool place. They're going to set that up really nicely. We've got the beach out there, so it should be a lot of fun. It's going to be exciting."
For more information on the 2023 NHL All-Star Game, click HERE.