Horvat, Nelson and Sorokin Wrap All-Star Weekend

All-Star Weekend ended a little early for Bo Horvat, Brock Nelson and Ilya Sorokin, as both the Pacific and Metropolitan Divisions lost in the first round of the three-on-three showcase.
Horvat recorded an assist in the Pacific's 6-4 loss to the Central Division in the first game of the afternoon. Horvat fed former Canucks teammate Elias Pettersson to briefly tie the score 2-2, but it was not enough to counter a four-point effort from St. Louis Blues' sniper Vladimir Tarasenko. Horvat and Pettersson seemingly teamed up on another goal, but it was called back due to an offside call.
As for Nelson and Sorokin, they bowed out in a 10-6 loss to the Atlantic Division. Nelson had one shot and a block in 5:36 of ice time, while Sorokin allowed five goals on 13 shots, playing the second half of the game after Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin played the first half.

"A lot of excitement and memories," Nelson said. "Getting out with with Sid and Ovi at the end of that game was pretty cool. I lined up and said this is pretty legit. Seeing how much fun my son Beckett had, meeting guys, that's number one for sure. I think the whole family had a lot of fun, so it meant a lot."

Horvat also said having his son on the bench during the All-Star Skills on Friday was a highlight, as was getting to skate with some of the best players in the league.
For Horvat, the All-Star Weekend offered a little bit of closure and a glimpse of what's to come for the newly-acquired Islander. Horvat relished one last chance to skate with Pettersson, calling it bittersweet, and was stirred by the fact that Islanders' fans were already wearing his jersey - even before him.
"It's really heartwarming," Horvat said. "I mean, to see fans actually have my jersey on already, and it's been four or five days? It's just It's pretty crazy. It's humbling and I'm just really fortunate that I'm going to an organization and teams' passionate fanbase again like that. I'm really looking forward to it."

The anticipation of joining the Islanders has been building all week for Horvat, who has been one of the centers of media attention during All-Star Weekend. He's raring to get up to Long Island for a practice on Sunday and get acquainted with the rest of his new teammates, aside from Nelson and Sorokin.
"It was great, but at the same time, I want to get going," Horvat said. "Enough's enough. Let's go start playing some games and getting to know the guys. I just want to start playing hockey again, so I'm really looking forward to get there tomorrow."