The event of the 2024 Stadium Series in a vacuum is special. The festivities of being able to trot out in front of tens of thousands of people to play NHL hockey outdoors is just plain and simple fun for fans and players alike.
And it should be that on Saturday night when the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils collide at center ice of the MetLife Center, but it is much more than just what appears to be a one-off exhibition game. It just so happened that the two teams who were handed this game against one another are currently in a heated battle for the playoffs.
If the Flyers can get two points over the Devils on Saturday, it should give them some serious wiggle room for the remaining 26 games of the regular season. If the Stadium Series victory is earned, Philadelphia will have a nine-point advantage over the Devils, who are lurking just two points out of the Wild Card spot currently being held by the Detroit Red Wings.
Head coach John Tortorella knows how much heft there is to this game beyond the fact that it is an outdoor game.
“It’s such an important game,” Tortorella said via NHL.com. “I haven’t followed where the guys are in the standings in the other games, but this one is right in front of us here. Twenty-plus games left for each team. You can see where the East is. Yeah, and that’s what I try to balance. I do not want to disrespect our team or their families. Let them enjoy this, but when that puck is dropped, I know we’ll be ready to play because I think they’re zeroed in on how important it is.”
And while the standings matter and most of the Flyers coaching staff and management would rather have the outdoor environment not be a factor, and to play this game in their own arena, they do have to balance how special it can be for some players and their families.
“It screws me up because, you know me, I just want to play the game,” Tortorella continued. “I want to get to it. I want to see where we’re at. I want to do the best we can and try to get these points. But I also understand this here I think it’s important for the league and I think it’s important for guys to experience it. I’ve got to find my way as far as the preparation, leaving them alone, getting them ready. But what’s made it easy for me is I have a team, it’s a good room, so it’s helped me. Tomorrow is when you zero in on where we’re at because it is a little bit of a different feel as far as where these two teams are at.”
Saturday night will be special and a sight to see, but you know that the two points would feel just so much better.
