Hall of Fame goaltender Roberto Luongo took part in a full Florida Panthers practice on Dec. 28 at the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale. The NHL All-Star Skills Competition is upon us. On Friday night at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, the annual showcase of several player’s personal hockey talents will take place on the ice. Representing the Florida Panthers will be Sam Reinhart and Sergei Bobrovsky, but unfortunately for Cats fans, it doesn’t sound like we’ll be seeing as much of them as many other all-stars. That’s because this year the NHL, with help from players like Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews, have revamped the Skills Competition to make it more exciting for the players and a better viewing experience for the fans. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNjE3OTM2NjIzMjQ4NDky/img_6014.jpg] This year, there is a winner-take-all prize of $1 million to the sole victor of the Skills Competition, but only 12 of the 36 non-goalies will be competing for the prize. Reinhart was not one of the 12 players selected. They are Connor McDavid, William Nylander, Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, Matthew Barzel, Elias Pettersson, Nathan MacKinnin, Leon Draisaitl, Nikita Kucherov, J.T. Miller, Auston Matthews and David Pastrnak. Each player will take part in four of the six events. Finishing in first place is worth five points, second place four points, third place three points, fourth place two points and fifth place one point. Here is who will be participating in each event. Fastest skater: McDavid, Nylander, Hughes, Makar, Barzel One-timers: Pettersson, MacKinnon, Draisaitl, Kucherov, Miller, Matthews, Barzel, Pastrnak Hardest shot: Matthews, Makar, Pastrnak, Miller, Pettersson Stick handling: Hughes, McDavid, Pettersson, Kucherov, Draisaitl, MacKinnon, Pastrnak, Barzel, Nylander Accuracy shooting: Kucherov, Makar, McDavid, Hughes, Miller, Pastrnak, MacKinnon, Nylander, Draisaitl, Matthews After the initial round, the eight players will the most points will move on. That’s when the goaltenders come into play. Each player, starting with the top points recipient from the opening round, will select the goaltender they want to shoot against in a one-on-one matchup. The goalies are Bobrovsky, Connor Hellebuyck, Thatcher Demko, Igor Shesterkin, Cam Talbot, Jake Oettinger, Alexandar Georgiev and Jeremy Swayman. Whichever goaltender comes up with the most saves during this round will pocket a cool $100,000. The top six point getters from the battle with the tendies will go on to the final round, the obstacle course. Point totals will be doubled for the finals. It should be a fun night for the fans and hopefully the players as well. All the action will begin at 7 p.m. from Scotiabank Arena and will air on ESPN and ESPN+. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Florida Panthers Mid-Season Awards [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/features/florida-panthers-mid-season-awards] Sergei Bobrovsky looking forward to relaxing epic work ethic, enjoying All-Star Weekend [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/sergei-bobrovsky-looking-forward-to-relaxing-epic-work-ethic-enjoying-all-star-weekend] Panthers teammates Sam Reinhart, Sergei Bobrovsky drafted to same NHL All-Star squad [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-teammates-sam-reinhart-sergei-bobrovsky-drafted-to-same-nhl-all-star-squad] THN Archive: The summer of Bob, Bread and Butter [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/features/thn-archive-the-summer-of-bob-bread-and-butter] Panthers' Sam Reinhart, Sergei Bobrovsky set for NHL All-Star draft [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/features/panthers-sam-reinhart-sergei-bobrovsky-set-for-nhl-all-star-draft] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNjQxMjA5NjI4NzMxMDIz/unnamed.jpg]
