Stadium Series nightmare will be remembered for more than the result

COLORADO SPRING, CO – For the 43,574 hockey enthusiasts in attendance at Air Force Academy for the spectacle known as the 2020 NHL Stadium Series game, it was a tale of three periods between the Western Conference foes meeting for the first time this season.

Entering the night, Colorado had an opportunity to tie for the Central Division lead with a win as a St. Louis loss earlier in the day placed added emphasis on the showcase game.

By the end of the night, the disappointment of every Avs’ fans was palpable after dropping hundreds of dollars to watch their team lose to the second-worst squad in the sport and sitting in horrendous traffic attempting to exit the Academy before midnight, hours after the 8:46pm ending.

Those watching the nationally televised game witnessed all of the pomp and circumstance from the comfort of their homes and enjoyed Colorado control much of the first period, outshooting Los Angeles by a margin of 15-to-7.

However, the Kings notched the first goal late in the first on a bad post rebound at 14:01 by Tyler Toffoli; as for those who plunked down hundreds of dollars on tickets, many missed the opening silo thanks to the absurd traffic stretching miles beyond the Academy’s North and South Gate onto I-25.

After besting Los Angeles once again by twice as many shots on goal (11-to-5), Colorado responded late in the second period thanks to Samuel Girard’s third goal of the season. The 21-year-old become only the second Avalanche defenseman to score a goal in an outdoor game; Tyson Barrie’s goal at Coors Field in 2016 marking the franchise’s first for a blueliner.

The lackluster play on both sides struck Colorado particularly hard in the third when a power play was erased 17 seconds later when Andre Burakovsky was called for interference, the second such occurrence of the game following a Gabriel Landeskog minor for tripping three seconds into a man-advantage during the first with the score knotted at zeroes.

Before the matchup was decided, Philipp Grubauer was removed with a lower-body injury in the third after a collision with Ian Cole.

Pavel Francouz came on for the final 16:22, stopping six shots, but Toffoli would bury a brace in the final minute before putting a cap on his third goal via an empty netter, becoming the first player with a hat trick in an outdoor game.

“It wasn’t easy, but it’s part of my job,” Francouz said of the Toffoli’s game-winner. “I have to be ready every second. I had a lot of shirts under my gear, so I was sweating within minutes. I think we played pretty well. We deserved a point from this game, but unfortunately, they made a play on a faceoff in our zone. They made a great screen, too, and scored.”

Any way you slice it, a disappointing night for the sold-out crowd: Toffoli 3, Colorado 1; Western Conference Worst 3, Avalanche 1.

Takeaways

• Girard’s goal at 19:18 in the second period was originally unassisted before Mikko Rantanen was awarded the assist, giving the 23-year-old points in his third consecutive game following a goal apiece against Ottawa and Washington.
• Before Toffoli’s historic third goal, an icing call against the Kings with less than thirty seconds was waived off, much to the chagrin of the home crowd.
• Numerous players shook off the notion that the cold temperatures – exacerbated by some light wind – made any difference in the result. In addition, the predominantly Colorado-based crowd provided little assistance in pumping up play as the typical cheering and music was less than audible for players than the domed confines of the Pepsi Center.
• Sam Hunt opened his three-song set with his 2017 hit “Body Like A Back Road.” Performing on a helipad serving as a musical stage, the Georgia-born country artist was surrounded by hundreds of cadets who were seated on the field, a first in NHL outdoor game history.
• A win tonight for Grubauer would have given the 28-year-old German a career-high 19 wins for the season. Alas the injury in the third period took him out of contention for the decision in the 1-1 game and Francouz takes his fifth loss in 22 contests.
• Three Stars: Toffoli (3g), Quick (32 saves), Girard (1g). Both Alex Iafallo and Anze Kopitar were lesser luminous spheroids of plasma, contributing two assists each.
• Those in attendance witnessed some exquisite set design on the field at Falcon Stadium. Reminiscent of a Wes Anderson film about Canada’s stolen sport, the details were plentiful. The first-ever F16 Thunderbird aircraft sat atop a simulated airfield. Runways were adorned with working lights. And landing zones for parachute jumpers came into play early in the evening as two servicemen descended from the sky during the National Anthem.
• Response from fans on social media before, during and after the game was a mess of an experience. Concessions in the stadium ran out, bathroom lines extended exponentially, and traffic exiting the Academy trended nationally on Twitter by the end of the night. While it may be true that the NHL put on an aesthetically pleasing show, the event may have missed its mark executing a memorable fan experience for those in attendance.