NHL skills events taking over Strip, Bellagio Fountains

NHL players plan to skate on water (well, kinda) and hit blackjacks on the Strip this week.

The NHL All-Star Skills competition will take over Bellagio Fountains and Las Vegas Boulevard at 4:30 p.m. Friday. The events are set for telecast on ESPN.

The NHL 21 in 22 competition format calls for players to fire pucks at a display of 52 playing cards.

Same as the table game, they will attempt to hit to as close to 21 without breaking. Not the same as the table game, they will be shooting regulation NHL pucks at the cards, hoping to connect with the right combination, serving as their own dealers, as it were.

The Discover NHL Fountain Face-Off takes place on a platform of synthetic ice in the middle of Lake Bellagio. Players will travel by boat to the middle of the lake, then attempt to shoot pucks into five targets in the least amount of time. Qualifying players move to the head-to-head final.

The Strip will be at least partially shut down Friday afternoon for the 21 in 22 event. Details on those plans are to be announced.

Both contests are new to the NHL All-Star Game events (which is kind of obvious, given the Strip location). NHL Chief Content Officer Steve Mayer says the league sought to tap into Las Vegas’ gaming history in creating a skills competition related to risk.

The 21 in 22 competition is a variation of street hockey, played out on the Strip.

“We’re rolling out a giant truss with 52 cards on it, and it’s accuracy shooting meets blackjack,” Mayer said in a phone conversation Saturday. “Whatever the players hit is the card in their hand, and they’re trying to make 21. We think the fans are going to eat it up, and the players are raising their hands to participate in this event.”

The winner in each event is awarded $30,000. They can opt to play that windfall at a nearby high-limit room.

Five contests return for this year’s NHL All-Star Skills Event presented by DraftKings Sportsbook, including the Verizon NHL Fastest Skater, Dunkin’ NHL Save Streak, EA NHL Hardest Shot, Adidas NHL Breakaway Challenge and returning after a five-year break, Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting.

As the league’s top players compete, DraftKings customers can test their hockey knowledge on Friday with a $1,000 free-to-play pool available nationally by visiting sportsbook.draftkings.com/pools. The pool will be available shortly after 2022 NHL All-Star Skills player assignments are finalized.

Four guests are joining the league’s skills competition. Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras, goalie Manon Rhéaume, the first woman to ever play in an NHL game, and actor Wyatt Russell, formally seen on the Groningen Grizzlies of the Dutch Eredivisie, are in the NHL Breakaway Challenge. Three-time Olympic medalist Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson will participate in the Fountain Face-Off and assist with Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting.

Additional special guests participating in the skills event will be announced this week.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.