The NHL Stadium Series made its debut to a rousing success in 2014 with four different outdoor games and now two more heated rivals will battle outdoors in 2015 as the San Jose Sharks and Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings will faceoff at Levi's Stadium.
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NHL.com reports that it was announced Wednesday that the Sharks will host the Kings at the brand new home of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif. on Feb. 21. The game will take place at 7 p.m. local time and 10 p.m. ET on that Saturday night.
The Sharks and Kings have developed quite a rivalry and have played in a best-of-seven series in the postseason the last two years. The Kings got the better of the Sharks in both series, most recently by erasing a 3-0 series deficit this past spring en route to the second Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.
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"The growing excitement around NHL hockey in California hockey, the intensity of last season's playoff series between these teams and the state-of-the-art setting at Levi's Stadium will bring a thrilling new dimension to the Kings-Sharks rivalry," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. "We thank the Sharks, the Kings, Coors Light, the San Francisco 49ers, Levi's Stadium and everyone involved in producing the next episode of our Coors Light NHL Stadium Series."
The Sharks make their outdoor debut and become the 19th franchise to ever play an regular-season NHL game outside while the Kings will look to redeem a 3-0 loss to the Anaheim Ducks at Dodger Stadium as part of the 2014 Stadium Series.
"We are honored and elated that the NHL has selected the San Jose Sharks to participate in the NHL's 2015 Coors Light Stadium Series and is bringing this magnificent event to the Bay Area," said John Tortora, the San Jose Sharks chief operating officer via NHL.com. "This event celebrates the growth of the great game of hockey in San Jose and recognizes the incredible support and passion of Sharks fans all over Northern California."
The Kings have also embraced being selected to go outside for the second consecutive year by the NHL.
"The Los Angeles Kings are honored to once again be selected to represent the National Hockey League at the 2015 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series," Kings President of Business Operations Luc Robitaille said. "This event is a tremendous example of how our game continues to grow and evolve in the state of California and it will bring a great deal of exposure to sports fans throughout the region."
Aside from the playoffs, the Sharks and Kings met five times last season, with the Kings winning three of the meetings in a tightly-contested season series.
This is the second outdoor game announced for 2015 as the Washington Capitals will host the Chicago Blackhawks in the Winter Classic on New Year's Day.
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