While Jack Hughes often grabs the spotlight for the New Jersey Devils, their captain Nico Hischier reminded everyone of his impact.
Hischier scored twice and added an assist, including the second-fastest goal to start an outdoor game, leading the Devils to a 6-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night in front of 70,328 fans at MetLife Stadium.
Nathan Bastian scored twice, while Tyler Toffoli and Brendan Smith each added a goal as the Devils secured their third win in four games. Nico Daws made 43 saves in the game, which kicked off two consecutive hockey days at the home of the NFL’s Jets and Giants.
The Devils’ win moved them two points behind Detroit in the race for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference and five points behind the Flyers for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
“That was a team we were chasing. Everybody was ready to play,” Hischier said. “We were all business.”
Owen Tippett scored twice, and Nick Seeler added another for the Flyers, who were 4-0-1 in their previous five games. They lost a crucial game in the playoff race with the regular season winding down to its final two months. Samuel Ersson made 33 saves in a contest that featured a Stadium Series-record 85 shots.
“At the end of the day, he’s the backbone of this team,” Daws said about Hischier. “I think he really makes us go. We all respect him so much. He’s a great leader, and it’s nice to see him get rewarded with a couple of goals.”
This is the first time the NHL’s Stadium Series will feature games on consecutive days with fans. The Islanders and Rangers play Sunday in another Metropolitan Division rivalry game.
After a Jonas Brothers concert and a stirring national anthem by saxophonist Jake Clemons, some fans weren’t even settled in their seats before Ondrej Palat set up Hischier for a backhander between Ersson’s pads just 32 seconds into the game.
“It was great to get that start, Nico, with that goal,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “If they beat us, they are almost out of reach. We needed this win.”
Colby Armstrong of the Penguins scored the fastest goal in an outdoor game 21 seconds into the first Winter Classic game in 2008 against the Sabres in Buffalo. Ruff, whose 64th birthday was Saturday, was the head coach of the Sabres in that game.
Toffoli made it 2-0 with 6:30 left in the first period, scoring on the rebound of Smith’s shot.
Tippett cut the lead to 2-1, beating Daws 7:43 into the second period, a session in which the Flyers outshot New Jersey 24-15 but were outscored 2-1.
Smith got his second goal of the season, putting in the rebound of Palat’s shot set up by Hischier with 3:24 left in the second for a 3-1 lead. Bastian extended the lead to three goals with a shot from the right circle 1:12 later for his fourth of the year.
Tippett scored on a power play for his 21st goal with 1:37 left in the second, but Hischier netted his 18th early in the third for a 5-2 lead.
The previous record for shots in an outdoor game was 80, achieved twice, most recently in 2019 in a game between the Flyers and Penguins at Lincoln Financial Field.
“We had some breakdowns and missed opportunities to score,” Flyers coach John Tortorella said. “We didn’t score, and they did. They were the better team.”
In keeping with the tradition of outdoor games, the teams arrived in themed costumes. Philadelphia chose a “Rocky” theme, wearing gray sweats, stocking caps, and their hands taped for a fight. New Jersey dressed as “The Sopranos,” arriving in shiny sweats, gold chains, and T-shirts. Timo Meier even had a cappuccino cup.
This was the 40th NHL outdoor game and third this season. Edmonton beat Calgary 5-2 in the Heritage Classic on Oct. 29, and Seattle beat Vegas 3-0 in the Winter Classic on Jan. 1.
UP NEXT
- Flyers: Finish a three-game road trip on Wednesday in Chicago. “It’s only one game, we move past it,” Tortorella said. “Don’t make it into more than losing one game.”
- Devils: Visit Washington on Tuesday.
