Erik Karlsson, Steven Stamkos get over NHL All-Star Game losses with tacos

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SAN JOSE -- Erik Karlsson and Steven Stamkos did not stew over their losses in the 2019 NHL All-Star Game for very long.

The Sharks defenseman and the Tampa Bay Lightning center consoled themselves with tacos after the Pacific and Atlantic Division teams were bounced in Saturday’s semifinal games at SAP Center.

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Consolation prize. Tacos.!!!!

A post shared by Erik Karlsson (@erikkarlsson65) on Jan 26, 2019 at 7:42pm PST

The Pacific, Atlantic and Central Division squads missed out on the $1 million prize the Metropolitan Division team took home for winning the three-game tournament. But Karlsson and Stamkos’ post-loss tacos were pretty indicative of the light-hearted nature of it all.

[RELATED: Karlsson stays mum on injury status, contract talks]

Karlsson’s squad trailed 7-1 at the end of the first period, and wasn’t able to keep the score any closer than a touchdown. This being an All-Star Game, Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said the mood on the bench remained light despite the scoreline.

“We were laughing,” Doughty said, “but I think we were laughing because we were so embarrassed that we were playing so bad.”

Stamkos and the Atlantic Division suffered a more hard-luck fate in the other semifinal. They jumped out to a 4-3 lead early in the second period, before allowing three unanswered goals.

Florida Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle said he joked with Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay’s coach, and the man behind the Atlantic’s bench, was entirely at fault. When Toronto Maple Leafs stars John Tavares and Auston Matthews relayed the story, they quickly passed the buck.

“I think Yandle said on the bench it was coaching,” Tavares said.

“It definitely wasn’t leadership,” Matthews, who wore the “C” as the Atlantic Division’s captain, quickly deadpanned. 

[RELATED: Sharks' rivals take San Jose's NHL All-Star boos in strides]

The players soaked in the laughs during losses, the consolation tacos after, and the joyful throwing of coaches under the bus in media scrums. All-Star Weekend, after all, is supposed to be fun for them, too.

“It’s always a great experience,” Doughty said. “The best part about it is just being in the room, meeting new guys and having fun after a little bit. [We] would have liked a better result, but we had tons of fun. Wouldn’t change being anywhere else.”

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