NHL NEWS JAN 30 – METROPOLITAN DIVISION REIGNS SUPREME AT ALL-STAR GAME

Wayne Simmonds scored the tiebreaking goal with 4:58 remaining in regulation to lift the Metropolitan Division past the Pacific Division in the final of the 2017 Honda NHL All-Star Game at STAPLES Center.

By virtue of its championship, the Metropolitan Division – coached by Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky – claimed the winner-take-all $1-million prize for the tournament.

Simmonds, who scored twice in the Metropolitan Division’s semifinal win, earned MVP honors and, as a result, a 2017 Honda Ridgeline. A second-round pick (61st overall) by the Kings in the 2007 NHL Draft, Simmonds played his first three NHL seasons in Los Angeles before a trade to Philadelphia.

“It’s all pretty surreal,” said Simmonds, who was making his All-Star Game debut. “I don’t even know if I realize what’s going on right now, but it’s pretty cool.”

SUNDAY’S NHL RESULTS
Home Team in Caps
PACIFIC DIVISION 10, Central Division 3 (SF)
Metropolitan Division 10, ATLANTIC DIVISION 6 (SF)
Metropolitan Division 4, PACIFIC DIVISION 3 (F)

REGULAR SEASON RESUMES WITH 14-GAME SLATE
The 2016-17 regular season resumes on Tuesday with 28 of the NHL’s 30 teams in action. A look at where clubs stand with 60.1% (739 / 1,230 GP) of the campaign in the books:

• Twenty-four of the League’s 30 teams are within six points of a playoff spot.
• The top 10 teams in the overall NHL standings are separated by just nine points.
• The top three teams in the Pacific Division are separated by only one point.
• The top four teams in the Metropolitan Division are separated by nine points.
• Teams 2-6 in the Atlantic Division are separated by just eight points.
• Teams 3-6 in the Central Division are separated by only six points.

TUESDAY’S NHL ACTION
All Times Eastern
Washington @ NY Islanders, 7 p.m.
Columbus @ NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
Nashville @ Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia @ Carolina, 7 p.m.
Buffalo @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
New Jersey @ Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
Boston @ Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.
Ottawa @ Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Winnipeg @ St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Toronto @ Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Minnesota @ Edmonton, 9 p.m.
Los Angeles @ Arizona, 9 p.m.
Colorado @ Anaheim, 10 p.m.
Chicago @ San Jose, 10:30 p.m.