Welcome to a goaltender's nightmare.

Twenty-one goals, 94 shots on goal and a grand total of eight blocked shots, most of those by accident.

When Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price spoke to the NHL Network's Brian Duff during the first intermission, truer words may never have been said.

"I feel like a lamb getting led to slaughter right now," said Price. "I just want to hold on for the ride and hope I don't get lit up too much."

Price didn't fare too badly, all things considered. He allowed three goals on 15 shots. Jimmy Howard also stopped 12 of 15. Henrik Lundqvist allowed his three on a dozen shots. Jonathan Quick yielded three on 13 and Tim Thomas, who picked up the victory and ended up robbing Daniel Alfredsson of most valuable player honours, ended up with 18 saves on 21 shots.

But poor Brian Elliott. The former Senators netminder, who has become an all-star under the stifling defensive system employed by St. Louis Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, gave up six goals on the 21 shots he faced in the third period, picking up the loss.

All this after he was made to feel so welcome in his return home. He was given the exact same locker stall he owned when he played with the Senators, the spot usually reserved for Ottawa's No. 1 goaltender.

"Yeah, it's a little weird," acknowledged Elliott. "I spent a few years here, so it is a little different. Scotty and Cookie (Senators equipment managers Scott Allegrino and Chris Cook) made me feel right at home when I came in. I was laughing that I was in the same spot, so I think they planned that one."

BEST GOAL OF THE NIGHT

There were countless pretty passing plays, but Marian Hossa's backhand goal, which he flipped between Erik Karlsson's legs and over Elliott's shoulder in the third period, was as skilful as they come.

ALL-STAR RARITIES

The penalty shot awarded to Steve Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first period - his spinerama effort was stopped by Howard - was the second ever awarded in an NHL All-Star Game. ...Philadelphia's Scott Hartnell was actually credited with a hit. ...When Toronto's Phil Kessel beat Elliott to the short side early in the third period and was receiving loud boos from the anti-Leafs fans in the crowd, Phoenix defenceman Keith Yandle gave him a shot with his elbow behind the net.

BIG NUMBERS FOR A BIG PLAYER

Zdeno Chara may have only registered one point - a third-period goal - but he finished the night with a rather remarkable plus-7 in the plus/ minus department. Defence partner Brian Campbell was also a plus-7. On the other side of the ledger, the Senators' Jason Spezza, Milan Michalek and Yandle all sported a minus-5.

SLEWIDGE COMES UP BIG

The crowd gave polite applause to Outasight, the guy with the sunglasses who sang during the pregame introductions. Javier Colon, the first-season winner of NBC show The Voice, did a fine a cappella version of the Star Spangled Banner. When Drake performed between the second intermission, two dozen players came out on the ice to watch him, snapping pictures from their iPhones. Yet perhaps the most impressive singing was delivered by Lyndon Slewidge, who delivered an outstanding performance in belting out O Canada with the support of the Governor General's foot guards behind him.

HEARD 'ROUND THE RINK

Reporter 1, as Drake was performing: "I don't get rap". Reporter 2: "I don't think that's rap. It's hiphop." Reporter 1: "OK, I don't get hip-hop."

NO, YOU WEREN'T SEEING DOUBLE

Rather than forcing some younger players to yield to seniority and change their numbers, all of the all-stars were allowed to wear their familiar digits. It meant that Team Chara had two No. 10s (Marian Gaborik, Corey Perry), two No. 14s (Jamie Benn, Jordan Eberle), two No. 19s (Joffrey Lupul, Tyler Seguin) and two 81s (Marian Hossa and Phil Kessel). Team Alfredsson had two 19s (Spezza and Hartnell) and two 91s (Stamkos and John Tavares). If the event is all about selling the game's star players, it makes little sense for a player to wear an unfamiliar number. (Hard to believe now, but Alfredsson once wore No. 15 in an All-Star Game and that's just wrong.). Yet there were some cases of mistaken identity. Hartnell was announced in the starting lineup, instead of Spezza.

NO OFFSIDE, NO ICING ... NO RULES

The officials kept the flow going, as much as possible. So much so, that when a player on the Team Alfredsson bench stuck out his stick to stop the puck from going inside the blue-line - no one took credit - there was no whistle.

A SENSE OF HUMOUR IS A WONDERFUL THING

Good on the Bruins' Seguin to suggest he play on a line with Kessel and Joffrey Lupul of the Maple Leafs. "Just put us together, let everyone have a story," he said on the eve of the game. Team Chara coach Claude Julien, or whoever had the final say on line combinations, bought in. The back story, of course, is that Kessel was traded to Toronto from Boston for the second-overall selection in the 2010 entry draft, the pick that the Bruins used to select Seguin. Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke has never heard the end of the transaction that also surrendered another first-round pick to Boston. Kessel (two goals and an assist) and Lupul (two goals) had big games.

LEST WE FORGET

Hossa's skate blade carries the number 38 and a small picture of former Senator Pavol Demitra. Demitra was among those killed in the plane crash involving Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League in September.

CARRYING THE BIG STICK

Upon further examination, Perry's goal in the breakaway competition Saturday was even cooler than at first glance. In case you missed it, Perry pulled a mini-stick out of his equipment and deked Elliott. Turns out it was a goalie mini-stick.

NOTHING AGAINST ZENON KONOPKA BUT ...

How would you like to have Tavares of the New York Islanders as your regular, everyday fourth-line centre? In an indication of just how skilled the all-star lineups were Sunday, Tavares lined up there to start the game Sunday, with James Neal and Jason Pominville on his wings. That trio has combined for 64 goals and 79 assists this season. ... Team Chara's fourth line consisted of Patrick (Superman) Kane, Eberle and Jamie Benn. They've scored 42 goals and 86 assists.

SPEAKING OF NUMBERS ...

The players on Team Alfredsson have combined for 2,286 NHL goals and 6,164 career NHL points. Team Chara checked in with 2,850 goals and 7,394 points. There's a reason why they're all all-stars.

TEAM CHARA 12, TEAM ALFREDSSON 9

FIRST PERIOD

1. 4: 34 - Marian Gaborik scores on a give-and-go, beating teammate Henrik Lundqvist. Gaborik tops it off with the "sniper shot" celebration that fellow Ranger Artem Anisimov immortalized on HBO's 24/7 series. 1-0 Chara.

2. 5: 38 - Team Chara goes up 2-0 after Evgeni Malkin roofs an impossible-angle shot over Lundqvist's shoulder.

3. 10: 09 - Gaborik finds the back of the net again, one-timing a pass from Marian Hossa into the top corner to make it 3-0 for Team Chara.

4. 10: 36 - Team Aflredsson finally hits the board as Milan Michalek drops a pass to Dan Girardi, who takes a shot that's tipped in by Jason Spezza. Detroit's Jimmy Howard allows his first goal.

5. 12: 51 - Scott Hartnell finds Henrik Sedin in front to bring Team Alfredsson back to within one.

6. 13: 49 - Team Alfredsson knots it up 3-3 after John Tavares picks up a loose puck behind the net and buries it behind Howard.

SECOND PERIOD

7. 1: 23 - A goalie change can't stop Gaborik as he completes the hattrick early in the second period. Los Angeles 'keeper Jonathan Quick is the victim this time around.

8. 3: 33 - Team Chara takes another two-goal lead (5-3) as Phil Kessel sets up fellow Leaf Joffrey Lupul on a two-on-one. We've seen that one around these parts before.

9. 7: 17 - Team Alfredsson keeps it close as Jason Pominville completes a tic-tac-toe play. It's the first goal allowed by Montreal netminder Carey Price on the day.

10. 14: 33 - Daniel Alfredsson (of Team Alfredsson . makes sense), splits the defence to notch his first goal of the game on a breakaway to make it 5-5.

11. 16: 04 - Alfredsson gives his team its first lead of the game, wrapping up a tidy tic-tac-toe goal that involved both Sedin brothers. Tre Kronor.

12. 18: 24 - Patrick Kane has the front of the net to himself and uses the opportunity to bash one past Quick. Team Chara pulls even.

THIRD PERIOD

13. 4: 12 - Kessel's shot beats former Senators goaltender Brian Elliott over the shoulder to kick things off in the third period. Team Chara goes up again, 7-6.

14. 5: 21 - Michalek becomes the third Senator to score in the game after a nice set-up by Tavares. Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas allows his first. Tie game.

15. 7: 45 - Malkin sends a crosscrease pass to Jarome Iginla, who has an easy tap-in past Elliott. Team Chara leads once more.

16. 9: 40 - Thomas tries to keep the play going, but throws the puck right onto Hartnell's stick. He pays the gift forward to Claude Giroux for the easy goal into an empty cage. Another tie.

17. 12: 04 - Another former Senator, Hossa, notches one. He spins and uses Erik Karlsson as a screen before lifting a backhander past Elliott.

18. 12: 20 - Did we mention there are some former Senators in this game? Zdeno Chara puts his namesake team up 10-8 with a weak floater that beats Elliott.

19. 13: 26 - Is it bad form to pull a goalie in an all-star game? Corey Perry dekes and beats Elliott again.

20. 14: 20 - The Sedin twins come right back and make it 11-9 with a two-on-one goal. Th scoresheet says Daniel Sedin finished the play, but really, who can tell the difference?

21. 15: 33 - Lupul rounds out the scoring as he buries a one-timer from the side of the net. Mercifully, it ends with the score 12-9 for Team Chara.