Panthers rookie Aaron Ekblad matches franchise mark with 4 points in All-Star Game
An NHL All-Star at just 18 years old, Florida Panthers rookie defenseman Aaron Ekblad fit right in among the league's top players at the 2015 NHL All-Star game in Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday night.
Ekblad, who was a late addition to the All-Star Game roster after Colorado defenseman Erik Johnson opted to skip the event while recovering from a lower-body injury, notched four assists to help lead Team Toews to a 17-12 victory over Team Foligno in the highest-scoring All-Star Game in NHL history.
The highest-scoring defenseman in the game, Ekblad's four-point performance also matched that of former Panthers Olli Jokinen (2003) and Pavel Bure (2000) for the most points at an All-Star Game in franchise history.
Ekblad now trails Bure by just two points on the franchise's all-time All-Star Game scoring list.
Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo, meanwhile, played the entire first period for Team Toews, stopping 13 of 17 shots.
On Saturday, however, it was Luongo who stole the show with a highlight-reel save to rob Canadiens forward Jiri Sekac of a goal at the NHL Shootout Competition .
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