ATLANTA -- There was plenty to see in this NHL All-Star Game, even without Sid the Kid.

Boston's Marc Savard found an open net with 20.9 seconds left to lift the Eastern Conference to an 8-7 win over the Western Conference on Sunday night at Philips Arena.

Carolina's Eric Staal, the brother of Pittsburgh's Jordan Staal, was named All-Star MVP with two goals and an assist.

Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby, the defending NHL MVP and scoring champion, pulled out of the game due to a sprained ankle that's expected to sideline him for six to eight weeks.

That opened up an East roster spot for Crosby's Pittsburgh teammate, Evgeni Malkin, who made his All-Star debut with a pair of assists on first-period goals by Eric Staal and Buffalo's Brian Campbell.

In addition to Malkin, Pittsburgh was represented in the All-Star Game by defenseman Sergei Gonchar.

At first, it looked as though it would be the West's night, when Columbus' Rick Nash scored the first of his three goals just 12 seconds into the game.

But the East took charge with five straight goals, including two by Washington's Alex Ovechkin -- Crosby's rival for top player in the NHL.

The West erased a 5-1 deficit to go ahead 7-6, but goals by Staal and Savard put the East back on top for good, 8-7.

The winning goaltender was Savard's Boston teammate, Tim Thomas, who replaced New Jersey's Martin Brodeur on the East roster a few days before the game.