Stadium Series: New Jersey Devils vs. Philadelphia Flyers

If you’re into outdoor hockey or a huge hockey fan, this is the weekend for you.

The Philadelphia Flyers visit MetLife Stadium to take on the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night in the annual NHL Stadium Series. The Battle of the Jersey Turnpike adds another story to its rich history as this game has some playoff implications.

Philadelphia currently holds the third seed in the playoffs while New Jersey looks to gain ground, sitting two points back for the second wild-card spot in the East.

Here are some impact players that can turn the tide of the game.

Jack Hughes

Need I say more? The 22-year-old forward has electrified this Devils team ever since he came on the scene number one overall back in 2019. His speed and playmaking is what makes him a threat on the ice.

He has 14 career points in 19 games against Philadelphia. He is starting to heat up coming back from injury, having three points in his last four games.

Jesper Bratt

Another young star on this Devils team. The leader in points and assists for New Jersey was named an All-Star this season and now looks to help his team push toward the playoffs.

A power play threat, he has 20 power-play points on the season that has the Devils at tenth in the league in power play percentage at 23.7%. He will look to pick apart the Flyers' penalty kill which ranks second in the NHL at 86.3%.

Nico Daws

Vitek Vanecek being considered day-to-day has allowed Daws to step into the number one goaltender spot for the time being, and he has answered each test.

In games against the Seattle Kraken and Nashville Predators, he has won both starts while allowing one goal and two goals respectively.

While his numbers don’t look that great on the season, owning a 5-5-0 record, a 3.02 GAA and a .906 save percentage, he has stepped up when needed.

Travis Konecny

A veteran on this young Flyers team, he holds a five-game point streak with three goals and four assists in that span. He’s a big reason why the Flyers hold the third seed right now as the leading scorer for the team. The 2015 first-round pick has 20 career points against the Devils in 32 games.

Samuel Ersson

The Flyers put Carter Hart on the non-roster injured reserve list so they have turned to Ersson to mind the net. He has been shaky recently, losing four straight but righting the ship by winning his past two starts. On the season he owns a 15-9-3 record, a 2.49 GAA and a .901 save percentage to go along with three shutouts.

The Flyers are 1-1 against the Devils this season as both games went to overtime. Philadelphia has scored three goals each in the two contests.

The Devils trail the Flyers by six points for third in the Metropolitan division, with the Hurricanes and the Rangers rounding out the top.

Philadelphia is 4-1 in their last five games, while the Devils are 3-2 in their last five.

The Devils are 0-1 all-time in Stadium Series games, while Philadelphia is 1-1 all-time.

This will be the first of two Stadium Series games, with the New York Rangers facing the New York Islanders on Sunday at 3 pm.

Ethan Hu is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email eth5182@psu.edu.