Central Intelligence: All-Star Game will highlight division's star power

The 2018 NHL All-Star Game takes place this weekend in Tampa, Florida, with the skills competition on Saturday and the game itself taking center stage at Amalie Arena on Sunday.
In case you're not familiar, here are some of the particulars of the game:
- Each of the NHL's four divisions will go head-to-head in a 3-on-3 format. - The Western Conference divisions will face off in a 20-minute, 3-on-3 mini game, followed by two Eastern divisions. - The two winners will then play with $1 million in prize money on the line.

Each division is comprised of six forwards, three defensemen and two goalies. All NHL teams are represented at the game.
Each division's "captain" was voted on by the fans. The Central Division captain is Nashville Predators defenseman P.K. Subban, who will be making his third appearance in the All-Star Game.
ALL-STAR WEEKEND SCHEDULE
The coach of team Central is Predators coach Peter Laviolette, who is behind the bench at the All-Star Game for the third time.
Here's a look at who else will be representing the Central Division in Tampa this weekend:

Forwards

Patrick Kane - Chicago Blackhawks
Making his seventh appearance in the game, Kane is the lone rep for the Blackhawks, who are in last place in the division at the All-Star break for the first time in more than a decade.
That hasn't slowed Kane much, as the Buffalo, New York native has 20 goals and 49 points and is on pace for his third consecutive 80-plus-point season. His shooting percentage and shot numbers indicate he could be on pace to top the 34 goals he scored last season as well.
Nathan MacKinnon - Colorado Avalanche
The Avs have been one of the great stories in the NHL through the first half of the regular season and MacKinnon has been the main reason why.
After winning 22 games and securing just 48 points through 82 games last year (31 points fewer than any other Central team), Colorado has 27 wins and 57 points through 48 games this season. If the season ended today, the Avs would be the second wild card in the Western Conference playoffs.
MacKinnon has been the engine behind the massive improvement, as the 22-year-old center has 24 goals and 60 points (three off the NHL lead) in 48 games played and is one of the mid-season favorites for the Hart Trophy, awarded to the League's most valuable player.
Brayden Schenn - St. Louis Blues
Acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers in a trade at the NHL Draft last summer, Schenn is a first-time All-Star who heads into the break riding a four-game goal scoring streak.
Schenn has centered one of the best lines in all of hockey (when it's been healthy) and has 21 goals, 50 points and is a plus-18 in 51 games. The 50 points is just five fewer than Schenn had in 79 games last season and nine less than his career high in 80 games two years ago.
Tyler Seguin - Dallas Stars
Just 25 years old and already making his fifth All-Star appearance, Seguin has been a big reason why Dallas has bounced back into postseason contention after falling off last season.
Seguin's 23 goals in 50 games are three fewer than he had in 82 games last season. His plus-7 also indicates a better two-way game, thanks in large part to the system and structure put in place by new Stars coach Ken Hitchcock.
One reason for his goal jump? He's shooting 11.5 percent this season, nearly identical to his career 11.2 percent number. Last year, despite posting a career high in shots on goal, his 8.6 percentage was his lowest since his rookie season.
Eric Staal - Minnesota Wild
The oldest skater on the Central Division team, Staal has helped the Wild remain in playoff contention despite a rash of injuries to critical players up and down the lineup.
He scored his 20th goal of the season on Thursday, a category in which he leads the team. It was the 11th time in his NHL career Staal has reached the 20-goal plateau. If he continues at his current rate, Staal should reach 30 goals, which would mark the sixth time he's done that but the first since 2010-11, which was also the last time he was an All-Star. The trip to Tampa is the fifth time the 2008 NHL All-Star Game MVP has played in the contest.
Blake Wheeler - Winnipeg Jets
Another great story, the Jets are in the mix to return to the postseason for the first time in four years. Their captain, Wheeler, is a big reason why.
Never a huge goal scorer in his NHL career (he has five 20-goal seasons but has never reached 30), Wheeler is on track to shatter his career high in points, and could reach 80 for the first time. This season, Wheeler has 14 goals and 40 assists and is a plus player for the fifth straight season.
Winnipeg has managed to stay afloat in the Central all season despite injuries that have left it without defenseman Dustin Byfuglein and forward Mark Scheifele for lengthy stretches of time. From an offensive standpoint, Wheeler has helped pick up the slack.

Defensemen

John Klingberg - Dallas Stars
A breakout star two years ago when the Stars won the Central Division crown, Klingberg took a step back last season and Dallas tumbled in the standings because of it.
Klingberg has rebounded in a big way this season and not surprisingly, Dallas has re-joined the postseason mix.
A front runner for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the best defenseman, Klingberg has been a force in the offensive end, posting 48 points in 50 games, seven more than the next highest defenseman in the League.
Like Seguin, Klingberg has also benefitted from the addition of Hitchcock. He's a plus-14 through 50 games, putting him on track to equal or surpass the plus-22 he was two seasons ago, when Dallas was one of the best teams in the NHL.
Alex Pietrangelo - St. Louis Blues
The Blues captain is quietly one of the best players in the League and this season has been no different.
His eight goals are tied for eighth among defensemen League-wide and his 27 points are sixth-most. Throw in a plus-12, and you've got a steady, consistent force on the back end for the Blues, who got off to a red-hot start early in the season but have come back to the pack a bit since.
P.K. Subban - Nashville Predators
Subban's first season in Nashville last season was seen by some as a disappointment. His 40 points were his lowest in a full season since he had 36 in 2011-12. He was also a minus-8, his worst number since 2010-11.
But the former Montreal Canadien has had a huge bounceback season this year, already scoring 12 goals and 37 points -- the former, surpassing his total from a year ago and the latter just three shy. He's also back in the plus column (plus-8), a place he's been most of his brilliant career.

Goaltenders

Connor Hellebuyck - Winnipeg Jets
While Wheeler has picked up the offensive slack, Hellebuyck is the single biggest reason why the Jets have been one of the top teams in the NHL this season.
Offense wasn't a problem for the Jets last year, who missed the playoffs despite being one of the League's most explosive teams. Stopping pucks was the issue for Winnipeg, who never settled on one of Hellebuyck, Michael Hutchinson or Ondrej Pavelec between the posts.
The Jets signed Steve Mason as a free agent over the summer to take the reins. But a tough start to the season by Mason provided Hellebuyck with an opportunity. He not only opened the door, but kicked it down, posting a 26-6-7 record with a .924 save percentage and a 2.35 goals-against average. All of those numbers are among the League leaders, placing Hellebuyck in the All-Star Game and in the Vezina Trophy conversation.
Pekka Rinne - Nashville Predators
Speaking of Vezina Trophy candidates, Rinne is also firmly in the mix after a first half in which the 35-year-old Finn has a 24-8-3 mark to go with a 2.35 goals against and a .927 save percentage.
After leading the Predators to the Stanley Cup Final last season, Rinne enters the break red-hot, having won his past five starts and allowing a total of nine goals during that stretch.
Without leading scorer Filip Forsberg for nearly a month, Nashville has remained at or near the top of the Central Division because of its goaltending, which has been a trademark in the Music City for a decade.
Related:
- Injuries ravaging Central's star power - Klingberg a shining example for Dallas' blue line - Hellebuyck has Jets flying high