In the 2024 NHL Stadium Series game between the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers, a great show was put on at MetLife Stadium. Nico Hischier (NJ), Owen Tippett (PHI), and Nathan Bastian (NJD) were the three stars of the game for their tremendous performances.
However, one player was not named to be a star of the game despite being truly sensational. New Jersey Devils goaltender Nico Daws gave them a chance to win, and win the Devils did.
Daws made 45 saves on 48 shots. It is the most saves ever made in an outdoor game. For those who don't know, Saturday was the 40th outdoor game in NHL history. We are talking breakaways, defensive breakdowns, and just good-quality chances for Philly that were shut down by Daws.
Nobody ever would have thought that he’d be the goaltender for this game coming into the year. After the way things went with Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid last year, along with Daws having major surgery, this was not foreseen by anyone.
The New Jersey Devis have gotten everything they needed from Nico Daws
Flyers forward Owen Tippett scored both of his goals in the second period but Daws was under siege. Daws made 25 saves in just that period alone. The Devils weren't playing well, yet Daws made sure they went into intermission with a lead.
It is good that the Devils rewarded Daws for his efforts. This performance was not wasted like the one on Thursday night against the Kings. The Devils scored six goals. If they could get him 4+ every single game, they’d hardly ever lose when he starts games.
The Devils trading for a goalie has been a conversation all season long. Well, do they need to do that knowing Daws has been playing this well? Is someone going to come in and play better than him? That is a huge risk.
Instead of overpaying for someone on the trade block, sticking with Nico Daws might be the smart play. We’ll see how he plays going forward but the Stadium Series was a big game in which he showed up big time.