NHL All-Star Game Odds, Prediction: Plenty of familiarity on teams for Matthews, McDavid, MacKinnon and Hughes
With the player draft in the books, it’s time to look ahead to Saturday afternoon for the 2024 NHL All-Star Game at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The four All-Star teams will be captain by Toronto sniper Auston Matthews, Oilers superstar Connor McDavid, Colorado veteran Nathan MacKinnon and Canucks blue-liner Quinn Hughes.
The opening puck drop for this year’s bracket tournament is set for 3 p.m. ET on Saturday. It will be a three-on-three format with 10-minute halves. Team MacKinnon and Team McDavid will play in Game 1, while Team Hughes and Team Matthews will play in Game 2. The two winning teams will face off in a third game to determine the All-Star Game winner.
Let’s take a look at each team and make a prediction for the 2024 NHL All-Star Game winner.
Don’t forget to check out our complete list of NHL game odds, NHL futures and NHL specials and props.
2024 NHL All-Star Game Teams
*Scroll down for complete All-Star team rosters
Team Matthews
Captain: Auston Matthews
Alternate captain: Morgan Rielly
Celebrity captain: Justin Bieber
I’m sensing a theme with this team and it seems to revolve around the Maple Leaf crest. It’s actually a solid strategy to put familiar players together in a shortened format as these teams don’t have much time to build chemistry. There’s no shortage of elite offensive talent on this roster. Auston Matthews leads the NHL with 40 goals and the trio of Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner has been a lethal three-on-three combination essentially for their entire careers with the Leafs. I also like the youth of Arizona’s Clayton Keller and the speed of Islanders winger Mathew Barzal. Combine all of that with what I consider the best goalie tandem in Dallas’ Jake Oettinger and Igor Shesterkin of the Rangers and you have a very dangerous Team Matthews.
Team McDavid
Captain: Connor McDavid
Alternate captain: Leon Draisaitl
Celebrity captain: Will Arnett
With the Oilers duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl as captains, this team was terrifying before they even made their first pick. And what did they do with that first pick? They snagged the Vezina favourite in Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck, who is second in the NHL in goals-against average (2.20) and tied for second in save percentage (.924). And offence won’t be a problem for Team McDavid as in addition to McDavid and Draisaitl, they also have two of the top three goal scorers in the NHL this season in Florida’s Sam Reinhart (37) and Boston’s David Pastrnak (33).
Team MacKinnon
Captain: Nathan MacKinnon
Alternate captain: Cale Makar
Celebrity captain: Tate McRae
Your team is off to a great start when your captains are Nathan MacKinnon, the favourite to win the Hart Trophy, and Cale Makar, the second-favourite to win the Norris. I love the pick of Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby, who has turned back the clock this season and could be auditioning for a deadline trade to Colorado…hey, a guy can dream! Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov adds more elite level skill up front and Jeremy Swayman of the Bruins has things locked down in net while sitting third in the NHL in GAA (2.30) and tied for second in SV (.924). Team MacKinnon could be a sleeper pick in this All-Star Game.
Team Hughes
Captain: Quinn Hughes
Alternate captain: Jack Hughes* Injured, Jesper Bratt will serve as on-ice replacement
Celebrity captain: Michael Buble
Just like Team Matthews, I like Team Hughes’ strategy of familiarity by going with five Vancouver Canucks players. Although Quinn Hughes’ brother Jack won’t be playing due to injury, there’s more than enough talent on this team. Nikita Kucherov leads the NHL with 85 points, J.T. Miller is tied for fourth with 67 points, Elias Pettersson is eighth with 64 points and Quinn Hughes, the Norris favourite, leads all NHL defencemen with 62 points. Overall, this is a younger team, so there could be a little more effort in their game compared to some of the veteran players.
2024 NHL All-Star Game Prediction
Honestly, this is an All-Star Game, so you could pick these teams out of a hat and still feel confident. That’s why I’m going with Team McDavid. You’re getting great value at +280 and there’s no way I’m betting against Connor McDavid and Leon Draiaitl playing at three-on-three with the best goalie in the NHL backstopping them.
2024 NHL All-Star Game Rosters
| Team Matthews | NHL Team | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Auston Matthews | Toronto Maple Leafs | F |
| Morgan Rielly | Toronto Maple Leafs | D |
| William Nylander | Toronto Maple Leafs | F |
| Mitch Marner | Toronto Maple Leafs | F |
| Jake Oettinger | Dallas Stars | G |
| Clayton Keller | Arizona Coyotes | F |
| Mathew Barzal | New York Islanders | F |
| Igor Shesterkin | New York Rangers | G |
| Filip Forsberg | Nashville Predators | F |
| Alex DeBrincat | Detroit Red Wings | F |
| Vincent Trocheck | New York Rangers | F |
| Team McDavid | NHL Team | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Connor McDavid | Edmonton Oilers | F |
| Leon Draisaitl | Edmonton Oilers | F |
| Connor Hellebuyck | Winnipeg Jets | G |
| David Pastrnak | Boston Bruins | F |
| Rasmus Dahlin | Buffalo Sabres | D |
| Robert Thomas | St. Louis Blues | F |
| Sam Reinhart | Florida Panthers | F |
| Sergei Bobrovsky | Florida Panthers | G |
| Boone Jenner | Columbus Blue Jackets | F |
| Nick Suzuki | Montreal Canadiens | F |
| Tomas Hertl | San Jose Sharks | F |
| Team MacKinnon | NHL Team | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Nathan MacKinnon | Colorado Avalanche | F |
| Cale Makar | Colorado Avalanche | D |
| Sidney Crosby | Sidney Crosby | F |
| Alexandar Georgiev | Colorado Avalanche | G |
| Kirill Kaprizov | Minnesota Wild | F |
| Sebastian Aho | Carolina Hurricanes | F |
| Tom Wilson | Washington Capitals | F |
| Jeremy Swayman | Boston Bruins | G |
| Travis Konecny | Philadelphia Flyers | F |
| Elias Lindholm | Vancouver Canucks | F |
| Oliver Bjorkstrand | Seattle Kraken | F |
| Team Hughes | NHL Team | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Quinn Hughes | Vancouver Canucks | D |
| Elias Pattersson | Vancouver Canucks | F |
| Nikita Kucherov | Tampa Bay Lightning | F |
| Thatcher Demko | Vancouver Canucks | G |
| Kyle Connor | Winnipeg Jets | F |
| Brady Tkachuk | Ottawa Senators | F |
| Jesper Bratt | New Jersey Devils | F |
| Cam Talbot | Los Angeles Kings | G |
| Brock Boeser | Vancouver Canucks | F |
| J.T. Miller | Vancouver Canucks | F |
| Frank Vatrano | Anaheim Ducks | F |
