The 2024 NHL Stadium Series was held just across the Hudson River at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 17. and 18. The home of the New York Jets and Giants was transformed from turf to ice for the two-game set of NHL outdoor games.
Kicking the yearly event off was the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 17. The Devils soared to a 6-3 victory, marking their first ever outdoor win, led by a 45 save effort from rookie goaltender Nico Daws and two goals performances from Nico Hischier and Nathan Bastian.
This was the first time the Devils have appeared in an outdoor game since the 2014 NHL Stadium Series, which was held at Yankee Stadium as the second ever outdoor game.
The New York Islanders also made their second appearance in an outdoor game. Like the Devils this is also their first time back since the 2014 Stadium Series.
The Isles took on their crosstown rivals, the New York Rangers, in what would be an exciting game filled with ups and downs for both teams.
Initially, the Islanders held the upper hand as they ended the first period with a 3-1 lead including scoring two goals in just 16 seconds — the quickest two goals in any outdoor NHL game ever.
But the Rangers would push back in the second and third periods, outscoring the Isles 2-1 in both frames, including two goals in the final five minutes of the game, both with their goalie pulled. This led to the game being knotted at 5-5 going into overtime.
Overtime began with an Islanders faceoff win, and as Noah Dobson took the puck back to his own end of the ice to regroup, Artemi Panarin made an incredible play. Deflecting Dobson’s pass and getting around Isles goalie Ilya Sorokin, Panarin gave the Rangers a 6-5 win.
The stands were packed for this game, with over 79,000 people filling MetLife Stadium. The building went nuts when Panarin’s goal went in as the majority of the crowd were Ranger fans.
This win continues the Rangers’ dominance in outdoor games. They have won all five games they have appeared in, which is the most of any team.
The whole weekend of outdoor action was a spectacular and truly exciting event, although the memories might be a little sour for Flyers and Islanders fans.
