Why NHL Stadium Series is a welcome break for playoff contenders
The Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs square off Saturday in Annapolis in the 2018 NHL Stadium Series, one of the NHL’s series of outdoor games.
There’s an argument to be made that the NHL has beat the outdoor game to near death.
The novelty has sort of worn off from the one of the first big efforts the NHL made in Buffalo when the Sabres hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008. Since then, there have been a whopping 23 outdoor games, with tomorrow’s game being the 24th.
That’s a lot of outdoor hockey in a decade, but the Leafs and the Capitals are looking forward to this year’s version.
Washington is currently the leader in the Metro division, while the Leafs are third in the Atlantic (although with more points than any Metro division team). Both of these teams are closing in on being secure in their playoff berths and are grinding out the latter part of the grueling NHL regular season schedule.
Washington captain Alex Ovechkin is a seasoned veteran, but just like almost any hockey player, he’ll have a good luck charm tomorrow night. Treating a child with cancer to an outdoor game is a fantastic gesture, and good on Ovechkin and the Capitals for doing it.
One star will unfortunately not be playing in Annapolis, as Leafs captain Auston Matthews is sidelined with a shoulder injury. Toronto is still a skilled team, and it will be interesting to see how the ice holds up in this warmish-weather game. That has sometimes been an issue in the past, and both teams like to get up and down to play offensive style hockey. Especially on the Toronto side, speed is one of their best team assets.
The Stadium Series offers a break from the monotony that makes up a season. For better or worse, it’s the same routine for a lot of teams for months on end. For two payoff-bound teams, this game is a great breath of fresh air before the heavy lifting starts. The players get to reconnect with their roots of youth hockey. Most played on ponds or wherever they could growing up. Even though they’re highly paid professionals, it’s always fun to remember they’re getting paid big money just to play a game.
Both these teams should make the postseason, barring a late-season collapse. Make no mistake, they’ll be sure to enjoy this slice of chaos and fun before it gets down to serious business.
After the first few minutes, the competitiveness that resides in every pro athlete will kick in and fans should get a good game.