The most intriguing things to watch in the NHL All-Star Game

After all the voting drama and buildup, the NHL All-Star Game is finally going to descend on Nashville. So now is probably as good a time as any to remember that this game has more going for it than "The John Scott Saga."

Yes, having Scott at the tournament is probably pulling in a section of the viewing audience. But there are other fantastic things to watch for.

A reminder, for starters: There really isn’t just one game being played this weekend. Sure, three periods of 20 minutes makes up a full 60-minute tilt. But with the different teams competing each “frame,” viewers will get to see a different pace and vibe in each 20-minute span. The Metropolitan vs. Atlantic stanza surely won’t be the same as when the Central faces off with the Pacific. And who knows what’s going to happen once the teams get to that third frame after playing long stints of three-on-three.

While on the subject of three-on-three: The big talk ahead of the ASG event has been about how players will handle playing lengthy minutes in three-man pairings. But what about how the goalies are going to handle the workload? Media outlets have tapped in to this concept this week, wondering what role the netminders will play. Devils goalie Cory Schneider told NJ.com that he isn’t quite sure how it will shake out:

“The goaltending is going to matter, obviously, but also the personnel is going to make a difference and we have some great personnel. So I have no idea how to handicap this thing.”

A of veil mystery only provides more of a reason to watch.

Of course, it would be silly not to want to check out the skills competition. It’s the Home Run Derby of the NHL All-Star festivities. Even better, it’s all the super-skilled players in one place, not spread out playing different games across the country and forcing you to change the channel to catch every highlight-reel play. This weekend, Alex Ovechkin, Tyler Seguin and Joe Pavelski will be on the same stage to put their inhuman talent hockey talent on display for viewers to drool over.

Now, understandably, one of the biggest reasons to watch the ASG is, still, to see John Scott, and not just because of the voting campaign gone awry that got him there. It should be interesting to see what he brings to the table as a captain — albeit the captain in a tournament of mini-games. Also, it'll be fun to see how he’ll fair in the skills competition. Will Jeremy Roenick’s criticism help propel him to a decent performance?

One final hope for John Scott’s All-Star campaign: The NHL embraces how much of a pull he is to the event and mics him up. Just imagine: Mic’d up smack talk between Scott and, say, P.K. Subban. That alone would be the best.