When the discussion turns to the New Jersey Devils, Jack Hughes is mentioned so many times that many forget about the team’s other No. 1 overall pick and captain, Nico Hischier.
Hischier had two goals and one assist, including the second-fastest mark for a starter in an outdoor game, and the Devils defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 6-6 on Saturday night in front of 70,328 fans at MetLife Stadium. I broke it in 3 and never looked back.
Nathan Bastian also scored twice, and Tyler Toffoli and Brendan Smith each had a goal as the Devils won for the third time in four games.
Nico Dawes made 43 saves in the second consecutive day of hockey at the home of the NFL’s Jets and Giants.
The Devils’ third win in four games left them two points behind Detroit in the wild-card race for second place in the Eastern Conference and five points behind the Flyers in third place in the Metropolitan Division.
“That was the team we were chasing. Everyone was ready to play,” Hischier said. “We were all business.”
Owen Tippett scored two points and Nick Seeler added one for the Flyers. The Flyers are 4-0-1 in their past five games, losing in a so-called four-point game in a playoff chase with two games remaining in the regular season. A few months. Samuel Elson made 33 saves in a game in which he set a Stadium Series record with 85 shots.
“At the end of the day, he’s the backbone of this team,” Dawes said. “I think he’s really going to get us going. You know, we all have a lot of respect for him. H is a great leader and to see him rewarded with some goals was great. That’s wonderful.”
This will be the first time that the NHL’s Stadium Series will feature consecutive games with fans in attendance. The Islanders and Rangers will play in another Metropolitan Division rivalry game Sunday afternoon.
After watching the Jonas Brothers concert and the moving national anthem performed by saxophonist Jake Clemons, some fans were restless in their seats, as Ondrej Palat bounced Hischier between Elson’s pads in the opening 32 seconds. He landed a backhand.
“It was great to get off to that start and get Nico to finish,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “If they beat us, it’s almost out of reach. We needed this win.”
The fastest goal to start an outdoor game was by Colby Armstrong of the Penguins, who celebrated his 64th birthday on Saturday, 21 seconds into Game 1 of the 2008 Winter Classic against the Sabers in Buffalo. Ruff was the head coach of the Sabers in 2008. That game.
Toffoli increased the lead to 2-0 with 6:30 left in the period on a rebound of Smith’s shot.
Tippett cut the lead to 2-1, beating Dawes 7:43 into the second period, and the Flyers outscored New Jersey 24-15, but lost 2-1.
Smith scored his second goal of the season on a rebound of Palat’s shot from Isier with 3:24 left, giving him a 3-1 lead. Bastian extended the lead to three points with his fourth shot of the year from the right circle 1 minute and 12 seconds later.
Tippett hit his 21st on the power play with 1:37 left in the second, but Hischier hit his 18th early in the third for a 5-2 lead.
The old record for shots in an outdoor game was 80, the last one being the Flyers-Penguins game at Lincoln Financial in 2019.
“We had some injuries and we had some chances to score,” Flyers coach John Tortorella said. “We didn’t score, but they did. They were the better team.”
In keeping with tradition for outdoor games, each team appeared at the stadium wearing costumes appropriate to their region.
Philadelphia chose a “Rocky” theme and came to the game wearing gray sweats, stocking caps and tape on their hands. New Jersey arrived dressed as “The Sopranos,” wearing shiny sweats, golf chains, and a T-shirt. Timo Meier also had a cappuccino cup.
This is the NHL’s 40th outdoor game and third of the season. Edmonton defeated Calgary 5-2 in the Heritage Classic on October 29, and Seattle defeated Vegas 3-0 in the Winter Classic on January 1.
