NHL Outdoor Classic in LA
LOS ANGELES – Sports – Dodger Stadium was the scene of a classic outdoor game. However in California style it was 16c and warm for hockey. The Ducks topped the Kings 3-0 in front of fifty-four thousand fans.
Fans got to enjoy, along with the hockey, some beach volleyball and an intermission concert by iconic rockers KISS.
KISS Thrills Dodger Stadium Fans
The NHL has been enjoying a lot of success in bringing out fans to outdoor games.
For hockey fans, and players, across Canada the memories of skating on the local rink and playing hockey outside in all kinds of weather is as much a part of Canadiana as the national railway being built.
In Los Angeles, there were challenges for ice makers, in ensuring that a good ice surface could last for each period.
Anaheim took the lead with goals from Corey Perry and Matt Beleskey.
Ducks netminder Jonas Hiller kept the Kings off the scoreboard, making 36 saves for the shutout.
The Anaheim Ducks beat the Kings at the Honda Center on Thursday.
The win gives the Ducks a big lead in the Pacific Division. The team now has a 19-point lead in the division. The Ducks now are leading the NHL with 83 points.
“The energy was fabulous,” Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said after the game.
The coach was hoarse after the game because trying to get orders to his players over the screaming fans was a challenge. “I can’t even talk now because players couldn’t hear me five feet from me when I was trying to tell them who was up.”
The Kings went 0-for-4 with six shots on goal on the power play and ran their goalless streak to 116:47. They haven’t scored since Anze Kopitar’s goal 3:13 into their 2-1 loss at Anaheim on Thursday.
L.A. has lost four straight in regulation and is 0-4-1 in its past five games. The Kings are 4-10-2 in their past 16 games.
“It doesn’t matter if we have 30 shots, if there is a goose egg on the scoreboard it doesn’t do us any good,” Kings centerAnze Kopitar said.
