'A BUNCH OF GREAT GUYS'

SUNRISE, Florida - That's a wrap!
While it wasn't for a lack of effort, chances, or even a little puck luck, Nazem Kadri and the Pacific Division bowed out to the Central in Game 1 of Saturday's 3-on-3 tournament at the NHL All-Star Game.
"It's always fun," said a smiling Kadri, who finished the day with four shots, but couldn't' tickle the twine. "It's a good event to come to and to experience - not just the on-ice - but off the ice, to get to know the guys. We compete against each other all year, so it's nice to see what their personalities are like.
"It's very easy, relaxed. As you can see, as the game goes on, the intensity starts to pick up a little bit. It's just our competitive nature. It's nice to ask about each other's everyday lifestyle and the cities they play in. It's just a bunch of great guys."

Kadri played on a line with Troy Terry (Anaheim) and Chandler Stephenson (Vegas).
But it was Kadri's former teammates - a dominant Colorado trio, featuring Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar - that did most of the damage for the Central, combining for five points in a 6-4 victory to advance to the winner-take-all final.
Kadri made his presence felt early when he sped off down the right side and put a cheeky backhand off the short-side post on the reigning Vezina winner, Connor Hellebuyck. It was the first good chance of the game, before MacKinnon scored on the Central's first shot, and Connor McDavid replied a scant half-minute later to make it 1-1 before the event was even five minutes old.
It seemed like we were in for a track meet.
Seth Jones (Chicago) and Elias Pettersson (Vancouver) traded goals late in the first half, before MacKinnon - off a glorious, give-and-go with Rantanen - gave the Central a 3-2 lead after one.
Arizona's Clayton Keller scored twice, and Vladimir Tarasenko scored the other, as the Central took over in the second half.
Kadri then had a great look midway through the frame when he found himself alone in the slot and one-timed a pass from Erik Karlsson, before scooting off on a clear-cut break - but he was twice thwarted by Predators goalie Juuse Saros.
Those are the stats.
But as we all know by now, the all-star extravaganza is about so much more.

With the weekend's festivities now in the rearview, Kadri is eager to re-join his Flames teammates and continue the playoff push, beginning on Monday against the New York Rangers at the world-famous Madison Square Garden.
"I think we're starting to find our groove, which is nice," Kadri said. "That takes some time, as expected. We've probably had the biggest turnover of any team in the league. And that takes some time to get used to.
"But now, it's crunch time. Thirty games left and we like that we're in the fight and it's time that we try to solidify ourselves."

The Flames entered the break with an impressive 5-2 win over the division rival Kraken. And while that victory was a while ago now, back on Jan. 27, Kadri feels it can be a springboard for this team as they open a crucial, four-game road swing.
"That's a great team," Kadri said of the Kraken. "I think they were first in the division at that point in time. Just to have that confidence… We're a team that has that belief in any building, against any team, that if we play the right way, we can come out on top.
"It's always fun when you're in the hunt and we've got an opportunity to be in the Top 3, Top 2, or 1, and we haven't even played close to our best.
"That's a positive sign."