Flyers

A Potential Scenario if the NHL Reschedules the Stadium Series Game

By Russ Joy

Published: Feb 22nd, 2019 · 12:35 PM EST

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Let me start by saying: this is pure speculation. I don’t have an inside source from the Flyers, Penguins, or league office. What I do have is common sense. The forecast for Saturday’s Flyers/Penguins Stadium Series game at the Linc has looked… suboptimal for over a week. It was a concern expressed by the NHL’s Executive Vice-President of Events Dean Matsuzaki we heard from him last Wednesday at Lincoln Financial Field:

Stadium Series update from @nhl EVP Dean Matsuzaki https://t.co/N2bh96rO0k

— Russ Joy (@JoyOnBroad) February 13, 2019

The two biggest concerns the league faces from a weather perspective are sun glare and heavy rain. It appeared as though the NHL had mitigated the former with a scheduled start time of 8PM, but the forecast for heavy rain has caused speculation that the game might need to be rescheduled.

As of Friday afternoon, there’s a 25% chance of rain at the scheduled start of the game, increasing to 40%, 60%, 55%, 70%, 85%, 100% on each hour from 9PM-2AM respectively. If the storm were to arrive earlier than forecasted, it would cause a monumental challenge for the grounds crew.

It’s unknown if/when the league plans on making an announcement confirming the current schedule or a need to reschedule for Sunday. It’s not as simple as just pushing the game back to 8PM Sunday for a myriad of reasons, which we’ll examine after the jump:

Logistical issues around the Sports Complex on Sunday

There are events tentatively scheduled for Saturday, including the NHL’s official tailgate party, “The PreGame”. The PreGame is supposed to take place in Lot G outside of Wells Fargo Center from 11:30AM – 7:30PM, with Lots M & N opening at 10:30AM for parking. Why’s that an issue? The Sixers host the Portland Trailblazers at 1:00 PM. To further compound the issue, there’s a Michael Bublé concert scheduled at WFC for 8PM.

TV conflicts

I don’t know what percentage of hockey fans overlap with NCAA basketball, NASCAR, and the Oscars, but the NHL has a very tight window to fit the Stadium Series in if they want to avoid all three. CBS has Michigan v. Michigan State from 3:45-6:00PM. FOX is airing a NASCAR Cup Series Race “Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500” from 2:00-6:00PM. ABC’s Red Carpet event begins at 6:30PM, though the actual Academy Awards doesn’t start until 8:00PM. That leaves the NHL with a two-hour window from 6:00-8:00PM without any real competition. Could the league opt to start coverage at 5:00PM with a 6:00PM start time? Sure. Keith Urban is playing a first intermission set – perhaps a source of casual ratings for all Keith Urbanites out there – but one would have to assume they’d like to get that on air.

Unfortunately for the Flyers, Penguins, and NHL, there doesn’t appear to be a perfect solution. If you’re planning on attending the game, cross your fingers and hope the impending rain arrives later than forecasted or changes it’s trajectory ASAP. We’ll keep you posted with any updates.

For more Flyers coverage, be sure to check out The Press Row Show pregame and intermission shows before and during home games via Facebook Live on the Crossing Broad Facebook page and Periscope via Crossing Broad, Anthony, and Russ’ Twitter accounts. Also, subscribe to our Flyers podcast Snow the Goalie ([iTunes] [Google Play] [Stitcher] [RSS]), leave a 5 star review, and follow us on Twitter:@AntSanPhilly @JoyOnBroad

https://art19.com/shows/snow-the-goalie-a-flyers-podcast/episodes/acdd5b50-f21e-4e57-8251-ec6abdbeb3b9