NHL

Despite Rain, Stadium Series Game to Go On as Scheduled

The NHL said it will continue to monitor weather conditions as the day progresses.

The Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins Stadium Series game will go on despite forecasted rain, the NHL announced Saturday.

The outdoor game was at risk of being postponed due to rain that's expected to last from Saturday evening into Sunday morning. However, the NHL announced that the matchup will go on as scheduled at Lincoln Financial Field.

"While we are expecting a chance of a relatively light amount of precipitation in and around the game window, current forecasts are indicating that we will have playable conditions," the league announced in a news release.

The league added, however, that things may change should weather conditions get worse by game time.

The following are the contingency plans the league has released for the game:

  • Once the game has begun, it may be subject to one or more temporary stoppages due to unplayable weather conditions, at the discretion of the Commissioner.
  • Period and game format may be reconfigured to accommodate temporary stoppages as determined appropriate by the Commissioner.
  • In the event of high winds at the ice surface, the clubs will switch ends at the 10:00 minute mark of the third period as signaled by a "hard whistle." The face off will take place where the play was whistled dead. This identical procedure will take place at the 2:30 minute mark of an overtime period, if needed.
  • In the event of a shootout, each club will determine what end they prefer to defend, which could be the same end.
  • If the game is started, then stopped permanently due to unplayable weather conditions, it will be deemed "official" once two periods have been played. The team leading at the time play is stopped will be declared the winner and will be awarded two points in the standings.
  • If the game is tied at the time play is stopped permanently, any time after two periods of play, each team will be awarded one point in the standings, with an opportunity to earn an additional point in a standard shootout format.
  • If weather conditions permit, the shootout will be conducted at Lincoln Financial Field immediately after regulation play has been stopped. If weather conditions make it impossible to conduct a shootout safely at Lincoln Financial Field, the shootout will take place at PPG Paints Arena on Sunday, March 17 prior to the regularly scheduled Philadelphia-Pittsburgh game, with Philadelphia deemed the home club for shootout purposes only.
  • If the game is started, and stopped permanently due to unplayable weather conditions, and fewer than two periods of regular time has been played, the game will be officially "postponed" and, if possible, will be played in its entirety at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Feb. 24. If the game cannot be replayed at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Feb. 24, it will be rescheduled at Wells Fargo Center on a date to be determined later in the season.

The Flyers are hoping to bounce back from a 5-2 loss against the Tampa Bay Lighting that snapped a three-game winning streak. The Penguins, meanwhile, are looking to add a fourth victory to their current streak.

The Flyers-Penguins matchup will be the 27th outdoor NHL game since 2003. The last time both sides met, the Penguins came out on top with a 4-1 victory on the Flyers' home turf.

Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

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