January 30, 2015
The NHL staged four Stadium Series games last season (and has scheduled two for next season), the league has only slotted one for this season -- a February 21 contest between the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, which is home to the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers.
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The average price of a ticket on the secondary ticket market to the outdoor Stadium Series game between the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings is $246.64, according to ticket data compiled by TicketIQ. That average is 52% more expensive than the ticket average at the Stadium Series game last season between the Ducks and Kings at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The rate is, however, on par with the average ticket price at last season’s other Stadium Series game between the Rangers and Devils at Yankee Stadium. The get-in price for the upcoming Kings-Sharks game at Levi’s Stadium is $102, according to TicketIQ.
Both the Kings and the Sharks enter their Stadium Series matchup on wobbly legs. Los Angeles, for its part, recently sent Mike Richards and his $8.4 million salary to the minors. Richards’ collapse this season mirrors the struggles of the team as a whole. The team needs a strong second half of the season to climb out of the ninth spot in the West, where it currently sits. The Kings can start by getting better on the penalty kill and when playing on the road; the team currently has the sixth worst PK in the league and has scored the fourth fewest road goals.
The Sharks, meanwhile, are treading water in a jam-packed division. Despite a strong start to the season, the Sharks have collected a measly near .500 record in January. More embarrassingly, the Sharks lost two critical match-ups with the Blues this month by the same exact score, 7-2. Sharks netminder Antti Niemi will be glad to kiss January goodbye. The Finn has allowed four or more goals in three contests this month. On the bright side, Sharks scorers Joel Pavelski and Logan Couture have both been red hot in January. Couture collected three points in a January 21 victory over the Kings.
