Devils News & Notes – Stadium Series Edition

After dropping a hard-fought 2-1 decision to the Los Angeles Kings, the New Jersey Devils must immediately set their sights on a pivotal outdoor matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers in the latest edition of the NHL’s Stadium Series. The teams will meet outside, under the lights of MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with two vital points at stake. Heading into the game, the Flyers lead the Devils by seven points with two games in hand for the all-important third-place position in the Metropolitan Division. The Devils are only two points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the final Wild Card spot, so there is a fallback, but they are not giving up on the division.

After practice, head coach Lindy Ruff shared the message he gave to his players, “the message was, you know, first we really have to wrap your arms around this opportunity to play on such a big stage. The second thing is we’re chasing them down for a spot in the playoffs, and anytime you get an opportunity to play, a team that has one of your spots ahead of you. It’s a big game. I think they realize that we realize that. You know, we need the two points. We need every point we can get when you get to play the team that you’re chasing. It’s even a bigger game.” Finding a way to grind through an emotional and physical game will be the key to the Devils earning two points and gaining ground on the Flyers.

Familiar Opponent

The Devils and Flyers have split two games thus far this season. Both games went to overtime. Luke Hughes gave the Devils the road victory in Philadelphia, while the Flyers secured a 3-2 victory courtesy of Owen Tippett in New Jersey. The MetLife game counts as a Devils home game. The teams will finish out their season series on Apr. 13 in Philadelphia.

Outdoor Fun

Several of the Devils have experience playing outdoor games. Brendan Smith has played in three, Tyler Toffoli in two, and had the first-ever hat trick in an outdoor game. Three other Devils, Erik Haula, Tomas Nosek, and Ondrej Palat, will all make their second appearance in an outdoor game. On Friday, the team arrived at the stadium and walked out to the astroturf surrounding the field to take in the sights. A group of players circled up for their traditional pre-game two-touch soccer contest while others wandered around soaking up the atmosphere and the enormity of the venue.

After a brisk 40-minute practice, highlighted by…