On a freezing Saturday night, the Devils got the chance to host the Flyers in only their 2nd outdoor game ever. MetLife Stadium was electric as the division rivals faced off in a crucial showdown, with the Devils ultimately winning 6-3. The Devils started the game off hot when Captain, Nico Hischier, was able to go on a breakaway scoring only 32 seconds into the period sending MetLife into a frenzy. Later in the period Tyler Toffoli, the Devils’ leading goal scorer, was able to shoot in a rebound putting the Devils up 2. Early into the period Owen Tippet of the Flyers was able to get open in the slot roofing the puck to cut the score in half. The Devils bounced back, however, getting an unlikely goal from defenseman Brendan Smith, and a little over a minute later Nate Bastian was able to score, putting the Devils up 4-1. The Flyers then went on the powerplay soon after getting another goal from Owen Tippet cutting the lead in half once again. To start the 3rd, Nico Hischier scored again extending the lead back to 3. The Flyers were able to get one back, but the Devils iced the game with an empty net goal.
We had the chance to attend the game. The overall experience was simply incredible. To start, the players showed up dressed in themes for their specific cities. The Devils players showed up dressed up as Sopranos characters while the Flyers players showed up dressed up as Rocky. The atmosphere was also unlike any other I had been around. Before the National Anthem even started, USA chants broke out across the whole stadium, and during the anthem, everyone joined in singing it. Fireworks were also shot during the anthem only building excitement for the game. While it was not something I was interested in, the Jonas Brothers also performed before the game, and during the second intermission added to the experience. The band, Gaslight Anthem, was also there and they performed the Devils’ goal song every time they scored They also performed during the first intermission.
The fun didn’t stop there. The following afternoon featured another rivalry matchup between the New York Rangers and New York Islanders. About 80,000 fans packed the MetLife stands. Coming off a six-game winning streak, the Rangers were expected to win, but not at the Islanders’ expense. Before the game, pop band AJR performed some hit songs to get the crowd going. The game started around 4:00 and got off to a fast start. The Rangers came out and scored the first goal in quick succession to go up 1-0 early. However, this lead wouldn’t last long. The Islanders stormed back and scored three unanswered goals. The first period ended with the Islanders up 3-1. The second period started and the Isles put another puck into the net to open the game at 4-1. It seemed like the Islanders were going to run away with this one, but the Rangers hung in there and scored two goals to cut the deficit to one going into the second intermission. Early in the third period, the Islanders scored once more to widen their lead 5-3. This is where it all went downhill for the Isles. Towards the last 10 minutes of the game, the Islanders took multiple penalties and gave the Rangers a boatload of opportunities to score. The Rangers capitalized and scored with 4 minutes left on a power play to make the score 5-4. Moments later, the Islanders committed another penalty and gave the Rangers a two-man advantage after pulling goalie Igor Shesterkin. Sure enough, Mika Zibanejad buried a one-time shot from the circle to send the game to overtime. At this point, all of the momentum was with the Rangers, and the Islanders looked helpless. OT started with a face-off win from the Islanders, but a quick mishap from the defense gave Artemi Panarin a great look to score the winner, and he did. Rangers fans were going crazy, and the team was pumped. The Rangers had completed the largest comeback in an NHL outdoor game. It was a game for the ages and a weekend that people will never forget.
