PORTLAND, ME – July 31, 2020 – As the NHL makes its triumphant return on Saturday, the Mariners are hosting a “virtual watch party” for the first period of game one the New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes series via Zoom. From 12-12:40 PM ET, fans can join Mariners Head Coach and Assistant General Manager Riley Armstrong while watching the game on NBCSN. The discussion will be moderated by Mariners Play-By-Play Broadcaster Michael Keeley and will also feature special appearances from Vice President of Operations Danny Briere and third year Mariners forward Dillan Fox.
The Rangers, who are the NHL affiliate of the Mariners, are one of 24 teams vying for the 2020 Stanley Cup, separated into two “bubbles.” The Eastern Conference, which includes the Rangers, are playing in Toronto, ON, while the Western Conference hub is located in Edmonton, AB. The top four teams in each Conference (based on the 2019-20 standings prior to the season’s COVID-19 related cancellation), are playing round-robin style for seeding, while the remaining eight battle in four best-of-five qualifying series.
The Rangers (37-28-5) have drawn the Carolina Hurricanes (38-25-5) for their qualifying series. Game one’s 12 PM start on Saturday marks the very first game of the entire tournament. Teams have been playing exhibition games in the bubbles since Tuesday. Defenseman Brandon Crawley, who played the majority of the 2019-20 season with the Mariners, is on the Rangers roster, but has not yet made his NHL debut. Another representative of the 2019-20 Mariners, goaltender Adam Huska, was also on the Rangers Phase Three training camp roster, but did not travel with the team to Toronto.
A link and password for the Zoom meeting will be posted on Mariners social media channels around 11:50 AM ET on Saturday, August 1st. No purchase is necessary and all fans are welcome. Fans must have access to either NBCSN, NHL.tv or another outlet broadcasting the game in order to follow the action. The meeting will end at approximately 12:40 PM ET, likely during the first intermission of the game.
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