The Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs might have to contend with more than each other when they meet Saturday night in an NHL Stadium Series contest at Navy-Marines Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md.
Winds were gusting over 50 mph Friday at the stadium and both teams were forced to move their practices indoors.
"I've thought about it. Maybe we'll have to flip a coin for the 'end zone' like football," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said of the potential for wind Saturday night. "It's part of it. You better not be too tired on the backcheck against the wind because you'll never get back."
Banking on the weather in the Washington region in early March was always a gamble. Game-time temperatures Saturday night could be in the low 40s, but the high winds are expected to be gone.
"It would've been nice to have got out there today, but with those winds, I don't think we'd be moving too fast," Toronto's Tyler Bozak told the Toronto Sun. "We will be in the same boat. We'll just get a feel for it in warmups and go from there."
The NHL issued a statement on Saturday afternoon declaring that the game would be played as planned.
The Capitals (36-21-7) sit atop a Metropolitan Division where the top four teams are separated by five points. They are coming off a 3-2 win over visiting Ottawa on Tuesday in which Evgeny Kuznetsov scored twice and Philipp Grubauer stopped 28 shots.
Trotz confirmed Friday that struggling netminder Braden Holtby will get the prime-time start. Holtby has dropped six straight decisions (0-4-2) and had a 4.62 goals against average and .873 save percentage in February.
Trotz said Holtby should benefit from the multiple practices allowed by the three days between games.
"When you're playing every second day it's hard to get in that necessary work because a lot of times you're traveling," Trotz said.
Holtby is 7-3-1 with 2.05 goals-against average, a .932 save percentage and one shutout against the Maple Leafs.
Toronto's Frederik Andersen is 3-0-1 with a 2.00 GAA, a .932 save percentage and two shutouts when he faces the Capitals
The Maple Leafs (39-20-7) are in third place in the Atlantic Division. They began their current four-game trip with extra-time losses in Tampa Bay and Florida. Toronto also has been off since Tuesday.
"There are two points on the line, but it's a special event and you should embrace that and enjoy it as much as you can," Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock told the Toronto Star. "The way our schedule is, it's set up perfect for us. We look forward to it."
This will be the third regular-season outdoor game for both teams, with each winning their previous two.
Toronto won a 3-2 shootout over the Detroit Red Wings in the 2014 Winter Classic and posted a 5-4 overtime victory against the Red Wings in the 2017 Centennial Classic.
Washington beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 in the 2011 Winter Classic and the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in the 2015 Winter Classic.
Toronto and Washington met in the opening round of last season's playoffs and the Capitals eliminated the Maple Leafs in six games.
The teams have met twice this season with the road team winning each time. Andersen stopped 30 shots in Toronto's 2-0 win on Oct. 17 in Washington, and Alex Ovechkin had a hat trick when the Capitals won 4-2 in Toronto on Nov. 25.
Saturday night could come down to who is better at handling the conditions.
"You have to simplify the game and make sure you play simple and make sure you play north(-south) instead of east-west," Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom told the Washington Post.
