The 2022 NHL All-Star Skills Competition took place Friday as some of the best hockey players in the world put their skills to the test at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

It was a night full of surprises, including a loss for Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid in the Fastest Skater Challenge and a controversial win for Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo in the Breakaway Challenge. 

Let's take a look at the event winners and highlights ahead of the NHL All-Star Game, which will take place Saturday night. 

Fastest Skater: Jordan Kyrou (13.550 seconds)

In a surprising upset, St. Louis Blues forward Jordan Kyrou won the NHL's Fastest Skater competition with a time of 13.550 seconds. 

McDavid, who won the event three straight times from 2017 to '19, finished fourth in the event. 

Kyrou also competed in the AHL's Fastest Skater challenge as a player for the San Antonio Rampage in 2019. He placed second with a time of 13.520, which would have placed fourth in the NHL's version of the competition that campaign.

Blues skating coach John Standbrook wasn't surprised that Kyrou was selected to compete this year, suggesting that a player's acceleration on the ice can be estimated by their vertical jump. Kyrou's 34-inch jump is much higher than the NHL average. 

“That’s really the defining aspect of why Jordy is so damn good,” Standbrook told The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford. “Think of a car, all right. You’ve got two VWs on the line, and they’re both going to come across the line at the same time."

Save Streak: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jack Campbell (9 saves)

Tampa Bay Lightning star Andrei Vasilevskiy and Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell teamed up to give the Atlantic Division a win in this year's Save Streak challenge. The duo combined for nine straight saves. 

The win should come as no surprise. Vasilevskiy has been one of the best goaltenders in the NHL over the last several years and won the Vezina Trophy during the 2018-19 season. Campbell, meanwhile, is in the midst of one of his best NHL seasons with a .925 save percentage and 2.30 goals-against average. 

The Central Division tandem of Cam Talbot and Juuse Saros finished second, making five straight saves. 

Fountain Face-Off: Zach Werenski (25.634 seconds)

In the first-ever edition of the Fountain Face-Off, Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski took home the victory with a time of 25.634 seconds. 

The Fountain Face-Off is one of the most unique events in NHL All-Star Skills Competition history, with the event taking place in the iconic Bellagio fountains. Players traveled by boat to the "rink" and had to shoot five pucks into five targets in the least amount of time. 

Werenski topped Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi in the head-to-head final. Former USA women's hockey star Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson finished third.

Before Friday, the NHL's accuracy shooting challenge had typically been performed on a standard rink. 

Hardest Shot: Victor Hedman (103.2 mph)

Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman won this year's Hardest Shot competition, with a 103.2 mph slap shot to seal the victory. New York Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech finished second with a 102.2 mph shot. 

Hedman is the first Swedish player to win the Hardest Shot challenge since Fredrik Modin in 2001, per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. He is also the third straight defenseman to win the competition. 

However, Zdeno Chara's record of 108.8 mph, which he set in 2012, will stand for at least one more year. It's hard to imagine anyone ever breaking the mark, though Shea Weber almost did in 2016 with a 108.1 mph shot. 

Breakaway Challenge: Alex Pietrangelo (64 points)

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo won the Breakaway Challenge with 64 points thanks to actor Jon Hamm, who gave him a score of 19 for the event...even though he missed the net.

Some might say Trevor Zegras, who wore the "Average Joes" jersey from Dodgeball, was robbed. Others might say Jack Hughes, who pulled off a stunning magician routine, deserved the W. Either way, Pietrangelo is the winner. 

It should also be mentioned that Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov had a nice tribute to Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin with his breakaway attempt, and he likely should have received a slightly higher score. Ovechkin was unable to compete in the All-Star festivities after being placed in COVID-19 protocols.

21 in '22: Joe Pavelski

This 21 in '22 event was new this year. Five players faced a full deck of oversized cards set up on a rack. The shooters had to reach 21 points without going over and do it in as few shots as possible, similar to blackjack. 

Each round was won by the first player to reach 21 or whoever had the highest hand. The first player to win two rounds won the event.

Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski couldn't miss.

This was definitely a fun challenge, but don't expect it to return for next year's All-Star festivities, which will take place at the home of the Florida Panthers. 

Accuracy Shooting: Sebastian Aho (10.937 seconds)

Carolina Hurricanes star Sebastian Aho won the Accuracy Shooting challenge by hitting all four targets in 10.937 seconds. He didn't miss any of his shots.

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel and Anaheim Ducks forward Troy Terry finished second and third, respectively, outperforming Patrice Bergeron and Leon Draisaitl. 

What's Next?

The 2022 NHL All-Star Game will take place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. It will be the sixth time the event features a three-game, three-on-three tournament.