Santa Clara: Marian Gaborik scored the game-winning goal in the Los Angeles Kings’ 2-1 victory over San Jose on Saturday in the latest NHL outdoor spectacle.
A crowd of 70,205 turned out for the open air contest at Levi’s Stadium, home of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers and the venue for next year’s Super Bowl 50.
The crowd was the third-largest to watch an NHL contest, behind Winter Classic outdoor games crowds in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2014 and in Buffalo, New York, in 2008.
It was the NHL’s 15th regular-season outdoor game, and in addition to the festive atmosphere the contest carried plenty of serious playoff implications, with the reigning NHL champion Kings and the Sharks battling for a Western Conference post-season berth.
Kyle Clifford scored for the first time in 15 games and Jonathan Quick made 31 saves in his 200th career victory for the Kings, who won their seventh straight game.
Brent Burns produced the lone Sharks goal and Antti Niemi stopped 27 shots in the defeat.
With the win, the Kings tied their Pacific Division rivals San Jose for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference with 68 points.
Gaborik’s deciding goal was a hard-earned effort as he came off the bench, stripped Burns of the puck and slapped a shot through the pads of Niemi from the top of the left circle for a 2-1 Kings lead 4:04 into the third period.
“It was an unbelievable atmosphere, 70,000 people,” Gaborik said. “I think it’s great for hockey here in California and a huge two points for us.”
The Sharks pulled Niemi with more than a minute left but couldn’t come up with a goal to force overtime. Clifford opened the scoring with a neat deflection of Jake Muzzin’s shot in front 2:46 into the contest.
Burns knotted the score after taking the puck off an offensive face-off win and wristing a quick shot from along the right-wing boards with 1:04 left in the first frame.
Neither team scored in the second period.
The Sharks became the 19th NHL team to play in an outdoor game.
The Kings fell to the Ducks 3-0 in a Stadium Series game last season at Dodger Stadium, the baseball park that held the first outdoor regular-season game played in the US west of the Mississippi River.
Gaborik said the Kings used Friday’s practice to soak in the atmosphere, so they could focus on the task at hand on Saturday.
“We had a good practice and came here tonight and it was all business,” he said. “Great game for us.” AFP
