2018 NHL Stadium Series

The 2018 NHL Stadium Series (officially the 2018 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series for sponsorship reasons) was a regular season National Hockey League (NHL) game played outdoors, part of the Stadium Series of games held at football or baseball stadiums. The Washington Capitals defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5–2, at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, the home stadium of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, on March 3, 2018.[1][2]

2018 NHL Stadium Series
123 Total
Toronto Maple Leafs 110 2
Washington Capitals 320 5
DateMarch 3, 2018
ArenaNavy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
CityAnnapolis, Maryland
Attendance29,516
← 2017 2019 →

This was the only game in the Stadium Series scheduled for the 2017–18 season (as opposed to multiple games in 2014 and 2016), and marked the first appearance of a Canadian team in the Stadium Series.

Background

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the 2018 Stadium Series game is the start of a unique partnership with the U.S. military in which the NHL plans to host outdoor games at military service academies around the United States.[3] In the fall of 2016, the NHL and the New York Rangers had explored the possibility of holding an outdoor game at Michie Stadium on the campus of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York.[4]

Game summary

Washington's Alexander Ovechkin scored his 40th goal of the season, while Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov and John Carlson each had a goal and two assists.[5] With ten minutes left in the third period, a power outage at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium suspended play for about 15 minutes.[6] Despite the power failure delay, the Capitals went on to win the game 5–2. In addition to the Ovechkin goal, the other Capitals players who scored were Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson and Jakub Vrana. Nazem Kadri and Zach Hyman scored the Maple Leafs' goals.

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st WSH Evgeny Kuznetsov (20) – pp Nicklas Backstrom (32), John Carlson (40) 03:50 WSH 1–0
TOR Zach Hyman (13) Roman Polak (8) 05:20 1–1
WSH Alexander Ovechkin (40) Tom Wilson (18), Nicklas Backstrom (33) 06:19 WSH 2–1
WSH Nicklas Backstrom (20) – pp Evgeny Kuznetsov (43), John Carlson (41) 16:20 WSH 3–1
2nd TOR Nazem Kadri (24) Patrick Marleau (15), Travis Dermott (8) 07:22 WSH 3–2
WSH John Carlson (12) Chandler Stephenson (10), Jay Beagle (14) 08:05 WSH 4–2
WSH Jakub Vrana (11) Evgeny Kuznetsov (44), Dmitry Orlov (16) 10:49 WSH 5–2
3rd No scoring

Number in parenthesis represents the player's total in goals or assists to that point of the season.

Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st TOR Travis Dermott Holding 02:43 2:00
WSH John Carlson Delay of game 12:20 2:00
TOR Dominic Moore Delay of game 15:28 2:00
2nd No penalties
3rd WSH Matt Niskanen Hooking 18:58 2:00
Three star selections
Team Player Statistics
1stWSHJohn Carlson1 goal, 2 assists
2ndWSHEvgeny Kuznetsov1 goal, 2 assists
3rdWSHNicklas Backstrom1 goal, 2 assists

Team rosters
^ Philipp Grubauer dressed as the back-up goaltender for Washington and did not enter the game.

Scratches

Television

The game was televised in the United States on NBC, and in Canada as part of the Hockey Night in Canada coverage that was simulcast of both CBC and Sportsnet, and in French on TVA Sports.

To accommodate NBC's preferred 8 p.m ET. start time for the Stadium Series game, HNIC had an irregular schedule on this particular Saturday: the Montreal Canadiens' game against the Boston Bruins was played earlier at 5 p.m., the Ottawa Senators at Arizona Coyotes contest (on City) also took place at 8 p.m. instead of the normal 7 p.m. start time for the early games, and the late doubleheader game featuring the New York Rangers at the Edmonton Oilers was pushed to 10:30 p.m. ET.[7]

Due to the power outage delay, NBC switched the final minutes of the game to NBCSN at 11 p.m. ET, as to prevent local newscasts and Saturday Night Live from being delayed.[6]

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gollark: Obviously not.
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gollark: Yes, mass-energy conversion good.
gollark: Idea: instead of "nuclear reactors", directly convert mass into energy.

References
  1. Gulitti, Tom (May 29, 2017). "Maple Leafs, Capitals to play in Stadium Series at U.S. Naval Academy". NHL.com. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  2. Khurshudyan, Isabelle (May 27, 2017). "Capitals expected to play in outdoor game at Naval Academy next season". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  3. "NHL announces plan to host outdoor games at military academies". ESPN.com. May 29, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  4. Brooks, Larry (October 9, 2016). "NHL exploring West Point for possible Rangers outdoor game". New York Post. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  5. "Ovechkin scores 40th, Capitals top Maple Leafs in Stadium Series". NHL.com. March 3, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  6. "Lights temporarily go out at Navy stadium, delaying play between Capitals, Maple Leafs". USA Today. March 3, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  7. "NHL 2017-18 season: Hockey Night in Canada schedule". Sportsnet. June 22, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
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