Devils Balancing Business with Pleasure | FEATURE 

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Ondrej Palat sat in his locker stall and fielded questions from the media gathered around. In many respects, it was like a normal day. Except that he sat in a blue chair labeled GIANTS. And blotted on his cheeks were thick smears of black eye paint. To the left of his name plate was an “ny” insignia.

In many respects, it was just another day at the office for the Devils. Except today’s office was MetLife Stadium, home to the NFL’s New York Giants and Jets.

New Jersey held an early evening practice on the ice surface followed by a family skate in preparation for its 8 p.m. Saturday night matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stadium Series.

“It’s turned into a really spectacular event everywhere it’s been,” Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said. “What an honor to have it here at MetLife. The ice was great out there and the atmosphere. I think we’re going to have tremendous weather for it tomorrow too.”

There are a lot of festivities surrounding the Stadium Series, which is an event in and of itself. A ruckus crowd of 60,000-plus fans packed into an NFL stadium to watch and outdoor hockey game. A concert by the popular pop group the Jonas Brothers. All the flair and décor. 

"It was a lot of fun. I was like a little kid out there all bundled up," goalie Nico Daws said of the experience on the ice. "It was surreal. It was exciting."

But isn’t lost among the players is that despite of the fan fair, there is a very important hockey game to be played.

“Once the game starts, it’s just another game,” said Palat, an outdoor game veteran. “It’s a big one for us against Philly. We need every point now.”

“For me, I try to treat it like a normal game,” captain Nico Hischier said. “At the end of the day, it’s a normal game. It’s just special and outdoors, but the game we play is the same, a 60-minute hockey game. I’ll prepare myself as much as possible the same way that I always do.”

The Devils coaching staff is also trying to keep some normalcy for the contest.

“We’re trying to prepare the same,” Ruff said. “Go through our daily meetings. We’ll meet tomorrow morning down at the arena. We’ll go through the prep that we would for any other team and move forward.”

There is a delicate balance that the team is trying to strike. They want to enjoy the uniqueness of the event, while understanding the importance of what’s at stake.

“Enjoy it. But at the end of the day, you have to put the noise aside,” defenseman Brendan Smith, another outdoor game veteran, said. “You’re here to win two points. It’s an amazing atmosphere. It’s so fun to be a part of these. I’ve been lucky to be a part of a lot of them and they’re all up there as my favorite games. But it’s a four-point swing.”

The reason the game is a four-point swing is because Philadelphia is currently ahead of the Devils in the race for a playoff spot. The Flyers currently sit in the third spot of the Metro Division with 65 points in 55 games. The Devils are on the outside of the bubble, sitting in the third Wild Card position (top two Wild Card spots qualify for the postseason). New Jersey has 58 points in 53 games.

With the Flyers being a team the Devils are chasing makes the points even more valuable.

“Tomorrow it’s a cool experience to be a part of but all know the job,” forward Jesper Bratt said. “We’re coming out here to get two points. We’re playing against a team that is a really good test for us to see where our game is.”

So, the Devils will have to find a way to soak in this moment and everything surrounding it. But maintain that business-like approach to the game.

“First, we really have to wrap your arms around this opportunity to play on such a big stage,” Ruff said. “But second, we’re chasing them down for a spot in the playoffs. Any time you get an opportunity to play the team that is a spot ahead of you, it’s a big game. They realize that. We realize that. We need the two points. When you’re playing the team you’re chasing, it’s even a bigger game.”

In fact, the importance of the game, the closeness to the end of the season combined with all the uniqueness of an outdoor game should make this a game to never forget.

“The stakes are really high. The games are dwindling down a little bit,” Jack Hughes said. “We have to play catchup. That’s the spot we’re in. It’s a four-point game against a division rival. If we get this one, it’s a big win.

“We know this is really important whether it’s played in front of zero people or 60,000, it’s a really important game. We need to be a really focused group heading into tomorrow.”