Eric Staal scored twice and helped set up Marc Savard's game-winner with 20.9 seconds remaining in the third period Sunday night as the Eastern Conference edged the Western Conference 8-7 in the 56th NHL All-Star Game, as reported by the Associated Press. Rick Nash had a hat trick for the Western Conference, but Staal edged him for the all-star MVP honors, bringing home a brand-new Dodge Journey as a result.

With hockey luminaries such as Sidney Crosby sitting at home, Marc Savard stepped on up. The Bruins forward scored the winning goal with 20.9 seconds left Sunday night to lift the East to an 8-7 win over the West, in the 2008 NHL All-Star Game played in Atlanta, as reported by the Associated Press.

The final event of the NHL's SuperSkills competition was all about showing off -- hockey's version of the slam-dunk contest -- and the league's most creative players unveiled some one-night-only moves Saturday night, according to a Associated Press report. The Eastern Conference rallied for a 9-6 victory over the West in this preview to the All-Star game, but no one really cared about the score. Heck, even the NHL had it wrong for a while before switching a point from one side to the other.

Evgeni Malkin will cover for teammate Sidney Crosby in the NHL All-Star Game, as he was one of five replacement players named on Tuesday. Malkin leads the Penguins in goals (26) and points (56). Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas, replacing starter Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils, joins Malkin on the East squad. Defenseman Scott Niedermayer and forward Corey Perry from the Anaheim Ducks were added to the West roster.

Jarome Iginla and Vincent Lecavalier now have something else in common besides a stirring fight in the Stanley Cup finals, as they were chosen Thursday to be captains at the NHL All-Star Game. Iginla, the Calgary Flames captain, and Tampa Bay's Lecavalier will wear the "C" on their sweaters Jan. 27 in Atlanta. Iginla is a Western Conference All-Star for the fourth time, and Lecavalier is set to make his third appearance for the East squad. Their defining moment together came during Game 3 of the 2004 Stanley Cup finals when the scoring stars dropped their gloves and squared off. Lecavalier was the aggressor in that bout, but Iginla and the Flames earned the win that night to take a 2-1 series lead.

Rookie scoring leader Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks topped a list of 16 newcomers invited Tuesday to NHL All-Star weekend, this time to compete in a three-on-three competition instead of the traditional YoungStars game. Kane, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, is first among rookies with 40 points in his first 45 NHL games. He, along with seven other Western Conference rookies, will take on eight from the East. The three-on-three event will be held on Jan. 26 as part of the SuperSkills' competition on the eve of the All-Star Game in Atlanta. The YoungStars will shoot against All-Star goalies. Each rookie team will have four forwards and four defensemen. Kane was the Rookie of the Month for October when he put up 16 points, the most by a rookie in 15 years. Joining him up front for the West are Sam Gagner of the Edmonton Oilers, Peter Mueller of the Phoenix Coyotes, and the St. Louis Blues' David Perron. The defensemen are Alexander Edler of the Vancouver Canucks, Erik Johnson of the Blues, the Los Angeles Kings' Jack Johnson, and Matt Niskanen of the Dallas Stars.

Alexander Ovechkin's big week got even better Friday when the super scorer received his second straight selection to the NHL All-Star Game. The Washington Capitals star, who agreed to a 13-year, $124 million contract extension with the club on Thursday, was one of 15 players chosen to fill out the Eastern Conference roster. The 22-year-old Russian made his All-Star debut last year in Dallas and figures to be a staple in the midseason exhibition for years to come. He scored 52 goals in his rookie season and followed that with a 46-goal effort last season. Now with 32 goals, he is second to Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk, also chosen for the East squad. Kovalchuk has 36 goals. Ovechkin might as well get to know New York Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro and fellow forward Mike Richards of Philadelphia, a pair of first-time All-Stars who beat him to the punch in signing landmark long-term deals.

Sidney Crosby, the 20-year-old reigning NHL MVP, topped All-Star voting for the second straight year and will start again for the Eastern Conference, the league announced Tuesday. The Pittsburgh Penguins' captain, in his third NHL season, received 507,274 votes, nearly 200,000 more than anyone else in the East and about 30,000 more than Western Conference leader Nicklas Lidstrom. Detroit is the second team in two years to place three players in an All-Star starting lineup. The Buffalo Sabres did it a season ago for the East en route to the first Presidents' Trophy in franchise history. Lidstrom, a five-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman, will join Red Wings' teammates Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk in the Western Conference starting lineup on Jan. 27 in Atlanta. Lidstrom, who received 477,787 votes, will partner with Calgary Flames' defenseman Dion Phaneuf on the blue line while Jarome Iginla -- also of the Flames -- plays up front with Zetterberg and Datsyuk. NHL All-Star Starters Starters, as voted by fans, for the NHL All-Star Game to be played Jan. 27 in Atlanta: Eastern Conference: F: Sidney Crosby, Pens F: Vincent Lecavalier, Lightning F: Daniel Alfredsson, Senators D: Andrei Markov, Habs D: Zdeno Chara, Bruins G: Martin Brodeur, Devils Western Conference: F: Henrik Zetterberg, Wings F: Pavel Datsyuk, Wings F: Jarome Iginla, Flames D: Nicklas Lidstrom, Wings D: Dion Phaneuf, Flames G: Roberto Luongo, Canucks

Mike Babcock of the Detroit Red Wings and John Paddock of the Ottawa Senators were selected to coach the NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta on Jan. 27. The league chooses its coaches based on the teams from each conference that have the top points percentages through games of Jan. 4, the midway point of the regular season. Babcock's Red Wings lead the Western Conference with 61 points in 40 games (29-8-3), and Paddock's Senators lead the Eastern Conference with 54 points in 39 games. The assistants are the coaches whose teams have the next highest points percentage. San Jose Sharks coach Ron Wilson has a slight lead over the Dallas Stars' Dave Tippett in the Western Conference. Brent Sutter of the New Jersey Devils leads the Montreal Canadiens' Guy Carbonneau, the Philadelphia Flyers' John Stevens and the New York Rangers' Tom Renney in the Eastern Conference.