Tahoe setting is ‘mike drop’ moment for outdoor games
Some players snapped pictures of Lake Tahoe and the majestic Sierra Nevada mountains as they came out for their first look at the picturesque outdoor rink that will host two NHL games this weekend.
Others just soaked in the environment before taking the ice for a practice that took them back to their childhood, when many got started playing hockey on frozen ponds and lakes.
It’s fair to say none of those makeshift rinks was quite like the one that will be used for the games this weekend between Vegas and Colorado and Philadelphia and Boston in one of the most scenic settings imaginable.
“This is a drop the mike type outdoor rink,” Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said Friday after his team practiced in preparation for Saturday’s game against the Avalanche. “It’s the nicest I’ve ever seen. The guys really, really enjoyed it today. It’s aweinspiring when you
walk out there and see the mountains and the lake in the background. The only thing we’re missing is fans.”
The NHL built a rink on the 18th fairway of the golf course of the Edgewood Tahoe Resort, which is located on the shore of Lake Tahoe and surrounded by trees with the snowcovered Sierra Nevada mountain range towering in the background.
The biggest outdoor issues could be the glare from the sun, wind and an elevation of more than 6,000 feet above sea level.
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Hurricanes 5, Blackhawks 3: Nino Niederreiter had two goals and an assist and host Carolina cooled off Chicago, which had won three in a row and six of seven. Niederreiter capped his big night by scoring on the power play with 4:56 left, pushing the puck past Kevin Lankinen from the top of the crease for his ninth of the season. Patrick Kane had a spectacular goal and two assists for the Blackhawks.
Panthers 7, Red Wings 2: Patric Hornqvist scored in the first and third periods to help visiting Florida rout Detroit. Juho Lammikko and MacKenzie Weegar had goals on consecutive shots in the opening period, and Hornqvist made it 3-0 in a four-shot stretch that doomed a Detroit team averaging an NHL-low 1.9 goals a game. The Central Division-leading Panthers, set to face Detroit again Saturday night, matched a season high with three straight victories.
Oilers 2, Flames 1: Jesse Puljujarvi and Gaetan Haas scored, Mike Smith made 20 saves and visiting Edmonton beat Calgary to open a home-and-home series. The teams will meet again Saturday in Edmonton. Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson spoiled Smith’s shutout bid with 1:20 left in the second.
Jets 2, Canucks 0: Laurent Brossoit stopped 29 shots for the shutout and visiting Winnipeg got goals from Mark Scheifele and Mason Appleton to beat Vancouver.