UPDATE (Saturday, 12:13 p.m.): The NHL sent out a press release on Saturday with an update on the status of the Penguins-Flyers game.

The National Hockey League announced today that the start time of tonight’s 2019 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins at Lincoln Financial Field will remain at 8 p.m. ET. While we are expecting a chance of a relatively light amount of precipitation in and around the game window, current forecasts are indicating that we will have playable conditions. We will continue to monitor weather conditions throughout the day and if a different determination becomes necessary due to the weather conditions being worse than anticipated, we will adjust accordingly.

It’s not often fans check the weather report before attending a hockey game, but that might be necessary for Saturday’s Stadium Series matchup in Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Flyers host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Lincoln Financial Field in the annual NHL Stadium Series outdoor game on Saturday, February 23, 2019. The meeting takes place on the field the Philadelphia Eagles call home, and it might be affected by the outdoor elements.

UPDATE (Saturday, 6:51 a.m.): Here is the updated weather forecast from Accuweather:

Saturday : High of 45 degrees; Mostly cloudy, periods of rain late this afternoon; Chance of precipitation 64%.

Saturday night: Low of 39 degrees; Cloudy, heavy rain developing; watch for flooding on streets and poor drainage areas; Chance of precipitation 80%.

Sunday: High of 59 degrees; Considerable clouds, rain tapering off; breezy; Chance of precipitation 74%.

“The rain can lead to soft ice, which can get chopped up more by the players' skates, and make play difficult,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Edwards told their website. “Standing water on the ice can also impact play.”

There have been weather delays for NHL outdoor contests in the past.

The 2011 NHL Winter Classic in Pittsburgh moved from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. due to wet weather, while sun glare caused the 2012 Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park between the Flyers and New York Rangers to be pushed back from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The crew installing the rink prepared for potential weather issues by installing a thicker sheet of ice, per NHL.com.

"A thicker sheet just helps us if we do come into any type of weather," NHL senior manager of facilities operations Derek King told NHL.com. "A little thicker sheet helps on game day."

"We want to provide them the same sheet of ice they'd have inside," King said. "Obviously it's a little harder for us to control that week, we can't control the environment. So we'll monitor the weather the best we can and make changes as the weather comes in."

There is no word of a postponement from the NHL, which released a statement on Thursday indicating it is “really confident” the game “will go as planned,” per CBS Philadelphia.

“Right now, if you look at the weather forecast — and it does change hour-by-hour — there’s no call for severe or heavy rain,” the NHL statement read. “So we’re really confident, based on what we’re reading right now, that the game will go as planned.”

Philly.com laid out a couple of scenarios in case the rain prevents the game from being played as originally scheduled:

Pushing the game to 6 p.m. Sunday seems to be the NHL’s easiest option. There will be an 8 p.m. Michael Buble concert at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday, so the earlier start would help with traffic congestion in the stadium area.

A 6 p.m. faceoff also would allow NBC to avoid competing fully with the Oscars, which will start at 8 p.m. on 6ABC. From 6 to 9 p.m., NBC has news and taped broadcasts of an Ellen DeGeneres special. The Sunday afternoon forecast calls for dry but windy conditions, with temperatures possibly reaching the 60s. That could be too warm for the hockey game, but that’s another problem.

It’s beginning to look a lot like the #StadiumSeries! Rink production is underway at @LFFStadium. pic.twitter.com/bOuFIMkzGb — Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) February 11, 2019

Another key factor comes into play that hockey players never consider inside the confines of their home arenas — wind. The forecast indicates six mile-per-hour winds arriving from the east, which can reach up to 12 mph during the contest.

In prior outdoor contests, the NHL used a “hard whistle” where teams switched sides mid-period so both teams are equally affected by the elements, per AccuWeather.

“If you're skating with [the wind] and then you turn around and skate [into the wind] you really do notice it," Dean Matsuzaki, the NHL’s executive vice president of events, told AccuWeather’s ‘Everything Under The Sun’ podcast.

The Flyers stand at sixth in the Metropolitan Division with 63 points, while the Penguins are in third in the same division with 71 points on the year.

Here is what the NHL wants fans to know ahead of the outdoor matchup, per NHL Communications:

• HeadHouse Plaza gates open at 5 p.m. ET & Main Gates open at 6 p.m. ET.

• Due to anticipated traffic delays and security screening please plan on arriving early.

• LIMIT WHAT YOU BRING: Make sure to dress warmly, re-entry is not permitted. No outside food or beverages will be permitted into the stadium on game day.

• BAG POLICY: Fans are encouraged to limit the number of items they bring with them to the stadium. They will be able to carry (1) of the following style and size bag, package, or container at stadium plaza areas, stadium gates, or when approaching queue lines awaiting entry into the stadium:

• Bags that are clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and do not exceed 12″ x 6″ x 12."

• One-gallon clear plastic freezer bag (Ziploc bag or similar).

• Small clutch bags, approximately the size of a hand but not larger than 4.5″ x 6.5″, with or without a handle or strap, may be carried into the stadium along with one of the clear bag options.

• An exception will be made for medically necessary items after proper inspection. Guests with these types of bags are encouraged to use the HeadHouse North Gate entrance.

Prohibited items include but are not limited to: purses larger than a clutch bag, coolers, briefcases, backpacks, fanny packs, cinch bags, luggage of any kind, seat cushions, computer bags, umbrellas and camera bags, any bag larger than the permissible size or binocular and camera cases larger than 6.5″ x 4.5.″

• All bags are subject to search upon entry.

• For a full listing of prohibited items and additional fan information about the 2019 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series™ please visit: https://www.nhl.com/fans/stadium-series/fan-guide