Devils to play Flyers, Rangers against Islanders at 2024 Stadium Series

The New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers and New York Islanders will participate in the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Feb. 17-18.

The Devils will play the Flyers on Feb. 17 and the Rangers will face the Islanders on Feb. 18.

MetLife Stadium, home to the New York Football Giants and New York Jets of the NFL, will host its first NHL outdoor games.

"We had always wanted to go back to play a game at MetLife Stadium. It's always been an interest of ours," NHL executive vice president and chief content editor Steve Mayer said Saturday. "MetLife is an extremely difficult place to think about doing a Winter Classic because of the two NFL teams that are in that building, the Jets and the Giants. So we also had been talking to them on and off and been interested for a long time.

"There's been many iterations of what we wanted to do here, but when we started getting into the matchups, the game, the tri-state area and the great hockey that right now is being played in the New York area, we felt like, 'Wouldn't this be unique and different?' And always trying to keep the Stadium Series and all our outdoor games fresh and the ideas fresh, wouldn't it be great to go with a doubleheader?"

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Mayer said the Devils-Flyers game will likely be a night game, but it's unclear what time of day the Rangers and Islanders will play. The games will be broadcast on ESPN.

No matter what time the games are played, Mayer said the event will have a New Jersey feel.

"Our 'wow' factor comes with how we take what is a football field or a stadium and just bring it to life in a unique and creative way," Mayer said. "It's a big NFL stadium and it's our goal to just take it and bring it to life in a way that frankly, we haven't necessarily seen that much. We're going to get super creative. We're going to highlight the area. As it always is with any of our outdoor games, it's our goal that when somebody tunes in to watch this, whether they're in the New York area, they're in Iowa, they're in California or they're overseas, they know we're playing in New Jersey.

"So, we're going to get creative. We're going to look at all the things that that New Jersey area has to offer and the tri-state area, frankly, because we do have four teams playing. Our goal is to bring our field to life and that stadium to life and we're very confident that when everybody gets to see it for the first time, they'll go, 'Wow.'"

Mayer said there will also be plenty of events off the ice to make the event special for all fans.

"One of the things that we've done whether it was in Nashville (2022) or in Dallas (2020) or this past year in Carolina, it's our goal that we put together an interactive event, so every time out something is happening in the arena that kind of leans into where we're at," Mayer said. "This year in Carolina, we constantly had moments throughout the game where things were always happening. We love the fact that when a fan comes in the building, first of all, they're getting an experience that they're never going to forget. It's a bucket list game, a bucket list moment. And then, how we sort of activate the stadium whether it's through music or entertainment or just something that uniquely is a piece of the teams that are playing, whether it's alumni introductions or historic lookbacks. These are the kind of things that we'll strive to do not only in one game but now in two games.

"When the Devils are playing the Flyers, we're going to focus on those two franchises and the next day, we'll switch it up. And whether we switch up the look of the field is still something [we] need to talk about because we could potentially do that from one day to the next as well."

The Devils and Islanders each will play their second outdoor game. The Rangers defeated the Devils 7-3 and the Islanders 2-1 as part of the 2014 Stadium Series at Yankee Stadium in New York.

"Obviously, our whole team is really excited to be able to play in an outdoor game here in New Jersey," Devils captain Nico Hischier said. "It's something I have never experienced, and it will definitely be an event to remember."

Said Islanders president and general manager Lou Lamoriello, "Our fan base is one of the most passionate in the NHL and deserve to experience this memorable event, along with our players and the entire organization. We look forward to playing our division rival inside one of the largest professional stadiums in the country."

The Rangers are 4-0-0 in outdoor games. They also defeated the Flyers 3-2 in the 2012 Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 in overtime in the 2018 Winter Classic at Citi Field in New York.

"Taking part in marquee events is a privilege we don't take for granted," Rangers president and GM Chris Drury said. "I'm excited for our players, organization and fans that the Rangers will have the chance to play outdoors next February."

The Flyers are 1-3-1 outdoors. They lost 2-1 in overtime to the Boston Bruins in the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park in Boston, 4-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2017 Stadium Series at what was then Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, and 7-3 to Boston in the 2021 NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe in Stateline, Nevada. The Flyers lone outdoor win came against the Penguins in the 2019 Stadium Series at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia (4-3 in overtime).

"We are thrilled to see the Flyers get the opportunity to participate in the 2024 NHL Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium next February," Flyers president of hockey operations Keith Jones said. "This truly will be a unique event to have four division rivalry teams that will bring their respective longtime histories and fan bases to one venue."

The 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series will be the third and fourth outdoor games scheduled next season; the Calgary Flames will face the Edmonton Oilers in the 2023 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on Oct. 29, and the Vegas Golden Knights will play the Seattle Kraken in the 2024 Discover NHL Winter Classic at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Jan. 1.

Dean Matsuzaki, NHL executive vice president of events, said the League is still unsure what the capacity of MetLife Stadium will be for the games. Its current capacity for NFL games is 82,500.

"We're still working to determine that. We anticipate it to be over 75,000 for each game," Matsuzaki said. "There is some renovation work going on next offseason at MetLife Stadium. They have some preparation to do to host FIFA World Cup soccer (in 2026) that will affect some of the low sideline seating on one side. So we're working very closely with them and their construction company to understand that impact on our games, so we will be losing a few seats due to that."

Mayer said the hope is the NHL's sellout streak in outdoor games will remain intact.

"Obviously, the goal as always is to continue our incredible streak of 37 straight sellouts and we really feel very confident that these two matchups will fill the building two days in a row," he said.

NHL.com staff writer Tom Gulitti contributed to this report