Canucks rookie Boeser takes MVP

Rickard Rakell had two goals and rookie Brock Boeser, Johnny Gaudreau and Drew Doughty also scored to help the Pacific Division win the NHL AllStar game with a 5-2 victory over the Atlantic Division on Sunday.

Pacific goalies Marc-Andre Fleury and Mike Smith teamed to allow just four goals in the two games their team captured to claim the $1 million shared by the winners of the four-team divisional tournament played in a three-on-three format.

The Canucks’ Boeser, the only rookie among 15 firsttime All-Stars, also had a goal in the Pacific’s 5-2 semifinal victory over the Central Division and was named game MVP.

Mike Green had two goals for the Atlantic, one off both Fleury and Smith in the final.

With the Lightning’s Jon Cooper coaching the Atlantic Division, and the team with the NHL’s best record represented by a leaguehigh four players, the sellout crowd of 19,092 roared its approval when the Atlantic-Metropolitan semifinal began with goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, plus forwards Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos on the ice at the same time.

Kucherov’s hat trick in the 7-4 semifinal victory was the first for an All-Star game since the NHL adopted the three-match, three-on-three tournament format in 2016.

Flames reportedly waive Jagr: The Flames reportedly placed Jaromir Jagr on waivers in what could spell the end of his illustrious NHL career. Jagr, 45, will reportedly be placed on unconditional waivers today for the purpose of terminating his NHL contract so he can return to Europe to finish the season.