Stadium Series revisited in 'NHL Mic Drop' premiering Wednesday

Brock Nelson sums up the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series as the perfect storm.

"Rowdy crowd, great energy, great atmosphere, great setup," the New York Islanders forward said.

The more than 150,000 people who filled MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and the millions of viewers who watched ABC to see the New Jersey Devils face the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 17, and the New York Rangers play the New York Islanders on Feb. 18, would probably agree.

Nelson makes the assessment in "NHL Mic Drop: 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series," a recap of the two outdoor games captured through players, coaches and referees who wore microphones during the games, video highlights and broadcast commentary. The show premieres Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. ET on the NHL YouTube channel and will be available during the overnight on ESPN+ in the United States and Sportsnet 360 in Canada at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday. NHL Network will air it at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday and again at 2:30 p.m. ET on Monday.

NHL Mic Drop chronicles one of the most ambitious Stadium Series the League has hosted to date: outdoor games on back-to-back days featuring four Metropolitan Division rivals along the I-95 corridor, each jockeying for Stanley Cup Playoff position.

In addition to having more than 10 mics for each game, NHL Studios also had at least 10 cameras covering each game, starting from tailgating in the parking lots, to the team locker rooms, on the glass for each game, and in the seats with fans and team alumnus.

The cameras captured alternative inside angles, more than what you see in a game broadcast, which will help bring fans inside these two games.

For the Saturday game, mic'd up were Flyers players Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny, Joel Farabee and Scott Laughton, and coach John Tortorella, and Devils players Tyler Toffoli, Jesper Bratt, Erik Haula and Curtis Lazar, coach Lindy Ruff and referee Jake Brenk.

"We're chasing them (Flyers) down for a spot in the playoffs, so it's a bigger game," Ruff said.

The Devils defeated the Flyers 6-3 before 70,328 on a cold night at MetLife Stadium.

"It's a big stage and, for sure, a moment that a lot of the guys are going to remember," Haula said.

The weather was warmer, and the rivalry intense, the next day when the Rangers and Islanders competed in front of 79,690 fans, the largest Stadium Series crowd and third largest for an NHL outdoor game behind the 2014 Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan, (105,491) and the 2020 Winter Classic at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas (85,630).

Mic'd up were Islanders players Anders Lee, Bo Horvat, Brock Nelson and Mathew Barzal, and coach Patrick Roy, and Rangers players Jacob Trouba, Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck and Barclay Goodrow, coach Peter Laviolette and referee Kelly Sutherland.

"Anytime you get the Rangers and Islanders fans together, it's always pretty special," Islanders forward Matt Martin said.

The game became an instant classic. The Rangers rallied from down 4-1 in the second period to defeat the Islanders 6-5 after Artemi Panarin scored 10 seconds into overtime.

"These games that take place are special and (we're) fortunate to be part of them," Laviolette said after the game. "And there's been some good ones, but this one's gotta be up there. It's gotta be near the top of the list."