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Watch: John Tavares scores special goal on way to All-Star record four

John Tavares makes a move against Kevin Shattenkirk. (Russell LaBounty, USA TODAY Sports)

John Tavares makes a move against Kevin Shattenkirk. (Russell LaBounty, USA TODAY Sports)

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The NHL All-Star Game is supposed to be a time to show off the moves.

We had seven goals through the first 16:24 of the first period at the All-Star Game, but nothing really special.

Then New York Islanders center John Tavares restored our faith in the meaning of the All-Star Game with 57 seconds left.

To recap: He put the puck between his skates, outraced Kevin Shattenkirk, outwaited Carey Price (doing his best Dominik Hasek impression) and scored.

Tavares kept going and had a hat trick through two periods.

On his second goal, he was so undefended on a breakaway that he could mishandle the puck and still score against Marc-Andre Fleury.

He added another goal with a minute left in the second.

But he wasn’t done. Taking a feed from Boston’s Patrice Bergeron, he snapped a sharp-angle shot past Brian Elliott for a record-tying goal No. 4 at 6:13 of the third period.

That put him in the All-Star stratosphere with Wayne Gretzky (1983), Mario Lemieux (1990), Vincent Damphousse (1991), Mike Gartner (1993) and Dany Heatley (2003).

Philadelphia Flyers winger Jakub Voracek had six points to tie Lemieux’s All-Star record.

And the 29 goals scored in Team Toews’ 17-12 win against Team Foligno was a record and gave the home team the loss in all three games under the All-Star draft format.

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