NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe

NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe was a series of two outdoor regular season National Hockey League (NHL) games, held on the weekend of February 20–21, 2021. Both games were played without fans at a rink on the 18th fairway of the Edgewood Tahoe Resort in Stateline, Nevada, on the south shore of Lake Tahoe. The elevation of the rink was approximately above sea level.
The first game scheduled for February 20, titled Bridgestone NHL Outdoors Saturday, featured the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche, and the second game on the following day, titled Honda NHL Outdoors Sunday pitted the Philadelphia Flyers against the Boston Bruins. The series was scheduled as a replacement for both the 2021 Winter Classic and Stadium Series games, which were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
==Background==
The NHL originally scheduled the outdoor games for the 2020–21 season prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Winter Classic, planned for January 1, 2021, was to feature the Minnesota Wild hosting the St. Louis Blues at Target Field, and the Stadium Series game was to be hosted by the Carolina Hurricanes at Carter–Finley Stadium on February 20, against an unannounced opponent. The league announced on October 22, 2020, that the Winter Classic was being postponed to the next season due to "ongoing uncertainty" of the pandemic since fan participation is considered "integral to the[ir] success. The decision to further postpone the Stadium Series game was made on December 23, also because fans would likely not be able to attend.
In seeking an alternative outdoor stadium with fans not likely to be in attendance, the league focused on natural landscapes capable of mimicking pond hockey and not an in-person fan experience. The Edgewood Tahoe Resort in Stateline, Nevada, in the Lake Tahoe region, was chosen over Lake Louise, Alberta, and Park City, Utah. This is the same golf course that has hosted the American Century Championship annually since 1990. The golf course was selected because the actual Lake Tahoe does not freeze over and therefore is not suitable for ice hockey play. The average high temperature on February 20 is , with an average low of .
With no fans being allowed at the event, the geographic location of the teams became less important, as the games became made-for-television showcases. The nearest teams to Lake Tahoe are the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks, but the Sharks were not scheduled for the event due to scheduling uncertainties related to Santa Clara County's local COVID-19 health restrictions on contact sports, as well the expectation that the team would finish with a losing record as in the prior season. The Philadelphia Flyers and the Boston Bruins were offered the opportunity to play in both games, but decided to take part in only one contest.
With the NHL's condensed 56-game regular season schedule and limited geographical travel due to the pandemic, few off-days were scheduled between games. However, allocations were made in the schedule to make travel more manageable.
On February 10, Greg Wyshynski of ESPN reported a message from NHL chief creative officer Steve Mayer, informing them that the league had backup teams in place should any of the teams scheduled for the Lake Tahoe games become unavailable due to COVID protocols.
==Game one==
The Vegas Golden Knights (VGK) and the Colorado Avalanche (COL) began play on February 20 at 12:12 p.m. PT (3:12 p.m. ET). Play was suspended after the first period due to ice conditions caused by its exposure to heat and sunlight; the game was resumed at 9:02 p.m. PT (12:02 a.m. ET). The game ended at approximately 10:50 p.m. PT (1:50 a.m. ET) with Colorado winning, 3–2.
===Game summary===
Scoring summary	Scoring summary	Scoring summary 	Scoring summary 	Scoring summary	Scoring summary
Period 	Team 	Goal 	Assist(s) 	Time 	Score
1st 	COL 	Sam Girard (2) 	Nathan MacKinnon (13), Mikko Rantanen (5)	2:58 	COL 1–0
2nd 	VGK 	Alec Martinez (1) 	Alex Pietrangelo (4), Reilly Smith (4) 	7:37 	TIED 1–1
2nd 	COL 	Nathan MacKinnon (4)	Devon Toews (3) 	11:18 	COL 2–1
3rd 	COL 	Devon Toews (4) 	Nathan MacKinnon (14), Mikko Rantanen (6)	13:11 	COL 3–1
3rd 	VGK 	Alex Tuch (5) 	Zach Whitecloud (3) 	14:25 	COL 3–2
:Number in parenthesis represents the player's total in goals or assists to that point of the season
Penalty summary	Penalty summary	Penalty summary 	Penalty summary 	Penalty summary	Penalty summary
Period 	Team 	Player 	Penalty 	Time 	
1st 	VGK 	Mark Stone 	High sticking 	16:03 	4:00
1st 	VGK 	served by Keegan Kolesar	Too many men on the ice	18:40 	2:00
2nd 	VGK 	William Carrier 	Delay of game 	3:18 	2:00
2nd 	VGK 	Chandler Stephenson 	Cross-checking 	10:44 	2:00
2nd 	COL 	Tyson Jost 	Interference 	10:44 	2:00
2nd 	COL 	Joonas Donskoi 	Goalkeeper interference	16:15 	2:00
2nd 	VGK 	Alex Tuch 	Goalkeeper interference	17:44 	2:00
2nd 	COL 	Andre Burakovsky 	High sticking 	18:09 	2:00
3rd 	COL 	Nazem Kadri 	Tripping 	1:59 	2:00
3rd 	COL 	Cale Makar 	Delay of game 	2:37 	2:00
Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period
Team 	1 	2 	3 	Total 	
VGK 	8 	8 	13 	29 	
COL 	17 	13 	9 	39 	
Power play opportunities	Power play opportunities
Team 	Goals/Opportunities
Vegas 	0 / 4
Colorado 	0 / 4
Three star selections	Three star selections	Three star selections	Three star selections
 	Team 	Player 	Statistics
1st 	COL 	Nathan MacKinnon 	1 goal, 2 assists
2nd 	COL 	Devon Toews 	1 goal, 1 assist
3rd 	VGK 	Alex Tuch 	1 goal
===Team rosters===
Vegas Golden Knights 	Vegas Golden Knights 	Vegas Golden Knights 	Vegas Golden Knights
# 	 	Player 	Position
2 	 	Zach Whitecloud 	D
7 	 	Alex Pietrangelo (A) 	D
9 	 	Cody Glass 	C
10 	 	Nicolas Roy 	C
14 	 	Nicolas Hague 	D
19 	 	Reilly Smith (A) 	RW
20 	 	Chandler Stephenson 	C
22 	 	Nick Holden 	D
23 	 	Alec Martinez 	D
27 	 	Shea Theodore 	D
28 	 	William Carrier 	LW
29 	 	Marc-Andre Fleury 	G
35 	 	Oscar Dansk 	G
55 	 	Keegan Kolesar 	RW
61 	 	Mark Stone (C) 	RW
67 	 	Max Pacioretty 	LW
71 	 	William Karlsson 	C
75 	 	Ryan Reaves 	RW
81 	 	Jonathan Marchessault 	C
89 	 	Alex Tuch 	RW
Head coach: Peter DeBoer	Head coach: Peter DeBoer	Head coach: Peter DeBoer	Head coach: Peter DeBoer
Colorado Avalanche 	Colorado Avalanche 	Colorado Avalanche 	Colorado Avalanche
# 	 	Player 	Position
4 	 	Bowen Byram 	D
7 	 	Devon Toews 	D
8 	 	Cale Makar 	D
11 	 	Matt Calvert 	LW
13 	 	Valeri Nichushkin 	RW
17 	 	Tyson Jost 	C
20 	 	Brandon Saad 	LW
22 	 	Conor Timmins 	D
27 	 	Ryan Graves 	D
29 	 	Nathan MacKinnon (A) 	C
30 	 	Adam Werner 	G
31 	 	Philipp Grubauer 	G
37 	 	J.T. Compher 	LW
41 	 	Pierre-Edouard Bellemare 	LW
49 	 	Samuel Girard 	D
72 	 	Joonas Donskoi 	RW
91 	 	Nazem Kadri 	C
92 	 	Gabriel Landeskog (C) 	LW
95 	 	Andre Burakovsky 	LW
96 	 	Mikko Rantanen (A) 	RW
Head coach: Jared Bednar	Head coach: Jared Bednar	Head coach: Jared Bednar	Head coach: Jared Bednar
 Oscar Dansk and Adam Werner dressed as the back-up goaltenders. Neither entered the game.
 Starting lineup.
===Scratches===
*Vegas Golden Knights: Robin Lehner, Tomas Nosek
*Colorado Avalanche: Dennis Gilbert
==Game two==
The game between the Philadelphia Flyers (PHI) and Boston Bruins (BOS) was scheduled for February 21, originally at noon PT (3:00 p.m. ET); in the week before the game, the start time was adjusted to 11:00 a.m. local time. Due to the delay on Saturday of game one, the league announced that game two would be moved later in the day on Sunday, to start at 4:30 p.m. local time. The actual start time of the game was 4:59 p.m. local time, and it ended at 7:25 p.m. PT (10:25 p.m. ET) as a 7–3 win for Boston.
===Game summary===
Scoring summary	Scoring summary	Scoring summary 	Scoring summary 	Scoring summary	Scoring summary
Period 	Team 	Goal 	Assist(s) 	Time 	Score
1st 	BOS 	David Pastrnak (7) 	Brad Marchand (10), Patrice Bergeron (12) 	0:34 	BOS 1–0
1st 	PHI 	Joel Farabee (8) 	Sean Couturier (4), James van Riemsdyk (12)	6:41 	TIED 1–1
1st 	PHI 	Sean Couturier (3) 	Kevin Hayes (8), James van Riemsdyk (13) 	14:48 	PHI 2–1
1st 	BOS 	Charlie McAvoy (2) 	Brad Marchand (11), Connor Clifton (1) 	15:27 	TIED 2–2
2nd 	BOS 	David Pastrnak (8) 	Nick Ritchie (7) 	0:46 	BOS 3–2
2nd 	BOS 	Charlie Coyle (3) 	Craig Smith (3) 	16:14 	BOS 4–2
2nd 	BOS 	Trent Frederic (1) 	John Moore (1), Connor Clifton (2) 	16:47 	BOS 5–2
2nd 	BOS 	Nick Ritchie (6) () 	John Moore (2), Craig Smith (4) 	17:53 	BOS 6–2
3rd 	PHI 	James van Riemsdyk (8) ()	Kevin Hayes (9), Ivan Provorov (6) 	12:45 	BOS 6–3
3rd 	BOS 	David Pastrnak (9) 	Jack Studnicka (1) 	17:04 	BOS 7–3
:Number in parenthesis represents the player's total in goals or assists to that point of the season
Penalty summary	Penalty summary	Penalty summary 	Penalty summary 	Penalty summary	Penalty summary
Period 	Team 	Player 	Penalty 	Time 	
1st 	PHI 	Sean Couturier 	Tripping 	12:34 	2:00
2nd 	PHI 	served by Andy Andreoff	Too many men on the ice	6:17 	2:00
2nd 	PHI 	Andy Andreoff 	Roughing 	16:47 	2:00
2nd 	BOS 	Anders Bjork 	Holding 	18:16 	2:00
3rd 	BOS 	Anders Bjork 	Hooking 	9:31 	2:00
3rd 	BOS 	Brandon Carlo 	Interference 	12:37 	2:00
Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period	Shots by period
Team 	1 	2 	3 	Total 	
PHI 	11 	3 	5 	19 	
BOS 	8 	15 	12 	35 	
Power play opportunities	Power play opportunities
Team 	Goals/Opportunities
Philadelphia 	1 / 3
Boston 	1 / 3
Three star selections	Three star selections	Three star selections	Three star selections
 	Team 	Player 	Statistics
1st 	BOS 	David Pastrnak 	3 goals
2nd 	BOS 	Brad Marchand 	2 assists
3rd 	PHI 	James van Riemsdyk 	1 goal, 2 assists
===Team rosters===
Philadelphia Flyers 	Philadelphia Flyers 	Philadelphia Flyers 	Philadelphia Flyers
# 	 	Player 	Position
3 	 	Mark Friedman 	D
5 	 	Philippe Myers 	D
6 	 	Travis Sanheim 	D
8 	 	Robert Hagg 	D
9 	 	Ivan Provorov (A) 	D
10 	 	Andy Andreoff 	C
12 	 	Michael Raffl 	LW
13 	 	Kevin Hayes (A) 	RW
14 	 	Sean Couturier (A) 	C
19 	 	Nolan Patrick 	C
25 	 	James van Riemsdyk 	LW
37 	 	Brian Elliott 	G
53 	 	Shayne Gostisbehere 	D
55 	 	Samuel Morin 	D
56 	 	Erik Gustafsson 	D
62 	 	Nicholas Aube-Kubel 	RW
64 	 	Maxim Sushko 	RW
79 	 	Carter Hart 	G
82 	 	Connor Bunnaman 	C
86 	 	Joel Farabee 	LW
Head coach: Alain Vigneault	Head coach: Alain Vigneault	Head coach: Alain Vigneault	Head coach: Alain Vigneault
Boston Bruins 	Boston Bruins 	Boston Bruins 	Boston Bruins
# 	 	Player 	Position
10 	 	Anders Bjork 	LW
11 	 	Trent Frederic 	C
12 	 	Craig Smith 	C
13 	 	Charlie Coyle 	C
14 	 	Chris Wagner 	RW
21 	 	Nick Ritchie 	LW
23 	 	Jack Studnicka 	C
25 	 	Brandon Carlo (A) 	D
27 	 	John Moore 	D
37 	 	Patrice Bergeron (C) 	C
40 	 	Tuukka Rask 	G
41 	 	Jaroslav Halak 	G
52 	 	Sean Kuraly 	C
55 	 	Jeremy Lauzon 	D
58 	 	Urho Vaakanainen 	D
63 	 	Brad Marchand (A) 	C
73 	 	Charlie McAvoy 	D
74 	 	Jake DeBrusk 	LW
75 	 	Connor Clifton 	D
88 	 	David Pastrnak 	RW
Head coach: Bruce Cassidy	Head coach: Bruce Cassidy	Head coach: Bruce Cassidy	Head coach: Bruce Cassidy
 Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak dressed as the back-up goaltenders. Elliott played the third period for Philadelphia.
 Starting lineup.
===Scratches===
*Philadelphia Flyers: Claude Giroux, Justin Braun, David Kase
*Boston Bruins: Steven Kampfer, David Krejci, Kevan Miller
==Officials==
The same officials worked both games:
* Referees: Wes McCauley, Kelly Sutherland
* Linesmen: Matt MacPherson, Jonny Murray
==Media==
Both games were originally planned to be televised in the United States on NBC. Coverage of the Saturday game began as scheduled on NBC, but was then moved to NBCSN due to the delay. As a result of the Sunday game being moved to a 7:30 p.m. ET start time, it too was moved from NBC to NBCSN (with an evening game between the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals swapped into NBC's afternoon window as a replacement). Mike Tirico provided the play-by-play commentary with United States Hockey Hall of Fame member and analyst Eddie Olczyk and "Inside-the-Glass" reporter Brian Boucher. Rutledge Wood meanwhile, served as an on-site reporter in Lake Tahoe.
Both games were originally scheduled to be simulcast on Sportsnet in Canada. Due to the conflict with the Calgary Flames–Edmonton Oilers Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, coverage of the delayed second and third periods of Saturday's game began on Sportsnet One before Sportsnet joined it in progress. The second game was also moved to Sportsnet One.
==References==
NHL Outdoor Games
NHL Outdoor Games
Category:Ice hockey in Nevada
Category:NHL outdoor games
Category:Colorado Avalanche games
Category:Vegas Golden Knights games
Category:Philadelphia Flyers games
Category:Boston Bruins games