The night was cold, but the crowd was red hot. It had been 10 years since the New Jersey Devils played in an outdoor game, and the team was returning to the Meadowlands for the first time since they played at the Continental Airlines Arena. Now, Continental Airlines doesn’t even exist, and the arena doesn’t either. What does exist is MetLife Stadium, home of the NFL’s New York Giants and Jets.
It’s New Jersey’s home stadium, and the NHL put on a two-day event to celebrate outdoor hockey. The 2024 Stadium Series was an awesome experience, helped by the Devils winning in convincing fashion over the Philadelphia Flyers (the second game pitted the New York Rangers against the New York Islanders). Overall, the entire thing was a huge success.
There were a few big moments in the Stadium Series, including Nico Daws’ fantastic performance, Nico Hischier set the stadium on fire just seconds into the game, and Brenden Smith even scored a goal in the game. However, Nathan Bastian came out of that game feeling like a star.
Bastian scored two goals, but it was his first goal that made it 4-1 that pushed him to new heights. After scoring, Bastian put his hand in the air in what can only be described as a New Jersey Italian gesture.
For some context, the Devils entered the stadium dressed in track suits and undershirts. It was a vibe.
IT’S A JERSEY THING
— BarDown (@BarDown) February 17, 2024
The Devils rocked up in Sopranos outfits for the Stadium Series!
via @NJDevils
pic.twitter.com/llM1BRPo5j
The Stadium Series win will be Nathan Bastian's legacy
Bastian has had many moments in New Jersey. He had one playoff goal in his career, and it could have been important if it led to something. He scored the first goal against the Carolina Hurricanes in 2023, but the Devils lost Game 1 5-1. In 2022, during what was a lost season, Bastian secured the Devils' best victory of the year. He scored the game-winning goal in the third period after the Devils started the game against the Avalanche down 3-0. Another huge moment was when the Seattle Kraken put Bastian on waivers after selecting him in the expansion draft, and the Devils brought him back.
However, nothing will beat the Stadium Series. That game is one of the best of the decade for the Devils, and Bastian’s two goals were very important. Winning their first outdoor game in franchise history was important for this team, and they should have more moments going forward.
Bastian played 264 regular-season games with the Devils, and he added another 17 postseason games. His career won’t go down in history, but the Devils’ 2016 second-round pick made an impact in his own way.
The Devils will welcome Bastian back on December 3rd. We expect him to get a big ovation for his contributions, and we think his tribute will have a lot of Stadium Series moments attached.