Exhibition games to provide players, fans peek of Stanley Cup Qualifiers

EDMONTON -- The stages are set for the NHL's return with the start of exhibition games at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto and Rogers Place in Edmonton on Tuesday.

The Philadelphia Flyers will face the Pittsburgh Penguins (4 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NBSCP+, ATTSN-PT, NHL.TV) and the Toronto Maple Leafs will play the Montreal Canadiens (8 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN1, TVAS) at Scotiabank Arena, and the Edmonton Oilers will take on the Calgary Flames at Rogers Place (10:30 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN1, NHL.TV).
But when the curtain goes up, the show the players and television viewers will experience Tuesday, and in the exhibition games Wednesday and Thursday, will be a small sample of what the NHL has planned for the Stanley Cup Qualifiers, which start Saturday.
"I would say the difference between what we're going to do from Tuesday through Thursday and what we're going to do on Saturday is about 190 percent," NHL senior executive vice president and chief content officer Steve Mayer said Monday. "Of all we could do, it's probably five percent of what we could do."
RELATED: [Stanley Cup Qualifiers schedule]
NHL and arena staff in Toronto and Edmonton have been working the past two weeks to prepare the buildings to host games without fans in attendance because of the coronavirus pandemic that caused the season to be paused March 12. Without the natural energy generated by the fans, the League, with help from national TV partners NBC Sports and Sportsnet, had to come up with other ways to create a game atmosphere for the players and the fans at home.
On one side of the lower bowl in each arena, a large stage with two LED screens is flanked on each side by three giant LED screens that will display videos and photos. Each of the 24 teams in the Qualifiers -- 12 from the Eastern Conference in Toronto and 12 from the Western Conference in Edmonton -- provided walk-out music, pump-up and highlight videos, and goal horns and songs from their arenas to give the players some of the home-ice feel.

There were will also be videos of fans from each team cheering for goals and doing chants. All of this will be coordinated with enhanced lighting and the TV broadcasts, which will feature 32-35 cameras in each arena (up from the 12 from the normal game).
"I think it's going to be pretty neat," NHL senior director of event and game presentation John Bochiaro said. "Teams have been really cooperative. We've got to a lot of good elements that we're going to try to work in."
But the players and viewers will have to wait until Saturday to see most of it.
"You're going to see the screens on, you're going to see the look of it all, but we're not doing any of our elements, our moving video, our moving lights," Mayer said. "It will be very, very subdued, purposefully. Players need to get also adjusted to the ice, and we just don't feel like this is the time and the place to break out all that we're going to do."
Having seen photos and a rendering released by the NHL, several players have said they're eager to see what it looks and feels like when they step on the ice. They'll have to settle for a glimpse in the exhibition games, but the excitement of playing against an opponent for the first time in nearly five months should help.

That each team will face a rival in its one exhibition game should create some additional energy too.
"I saw the rink, the way they set it up, and it looks pretty cool in there actually," Flames defenseman Mark Giordano said. "As far as the game, I think there's going to be a ton of intensity. First off, we're playing the Oilers, obviously our biggest rival, and we all know as players we have to use this game to get ready for the qualification round, so I think the intensity is going to be there."
Playing without fans will be a new experience, but the exhibition games should give teams an opportunity to adjust and also shake off any rust from their long layoffs, which will be their primary focus.
"I think it will be a different environment and each team is going to be on an even playing ground," Penguins forward Bryan Rust said. "It doesn't matter if you're technically the home or the away team. You're going to play in the same environment and you're going to get the same bounces and everything, and I think it's going to be fun."

The real fun begins Saturday. The exhibition games will provide a small, initial taste of what's to come.
"It's still going to look awesome," Mayer said. "It's not going to be like, 'Oh, they just put black screens.' It's still going to have some cool looking visuals.
"But it will be lights, camera and we'll wait for action for Aug. 1."