All of the Sights and Sounds from Flyers' Stadium Series Practice at MetLife

One more sleep until Flyers and Devils outdoors!

The Flyers took to the ice at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 16 to get a quick practice in the day before their highly-anticipated Stadium Series matchup against the New Jersey Devils. Sporting some fashionable new orange jackets, eye black, and donning their Stadium Series jerseys on the ice for the first time, the Flyers were taking it all in as they got acquainted with the bright lights of MetLife and geared up to face the Devils. 

The biggest talking point surrounding this game is that it's just so much bigger in every sense than a typical regular season game. The venue is bigger (MetLife Stadium can fit 82,500 people), the stakes are higher (a Metropolitan Division matchup with the Devils hot on the Flyers' heels in the standings, and the excitement is at an all-time high (many players are experiencing their first Stadium Series).

For many players, being here is equal parts understanding the magnitude of this game in terms of division standings and the playoff push, and just taking in and enjoying the opportunity to be playing in a Stadium Series game.

"I don't think it's too hard to separate [the importance of the game from the excitement of playing at MetLife]," Joel Farabee said of the experience. "What comes with being a pro is being able to prepare yourself for whatever is going on. It's one of those games in a long season where you can just kind of take a breath and enjoy it. Obviously, you don't get to play too many outdoor games, so I'm pretty pumped."

Morgan Frost echoed this sentiment, saying, "[It's about] finding balance. You're still trying to treat it like any other game, but obviously, just the circumstances of it, you might have to change the game a little bit. I think that's one good thing about our group—we're versatile, we can play a few different styles."

John Tortorella also acknowledged the weight of these outdoor games, highlighting the fact that his focus remains solely on making sure the Flyers are fully prepared to play.

"It's a bigger stage, but it's not the same type of pressure," he said. "These events are fantastic, but you never know where it goes. My whole focus is, first of all, making sure families get out there on the ice today. The game—you just never know where these games go. There's a lot of things going around the players. My job is to just get the team ready to play a very important game for us. I'll find out more about the team as we keep on going.

"For me, it does [feel like the points mean more] because it's such an important game. I haven't followed where the guys were in the standings for the other games, but this one is right in front of us here. There's 20-plus games left for each team, and you can see where the East is. That's what I try to balance. I do not want to disrespect our team or their families, [I want] to let them enjoy this. But when that puck is dropped, I know we'll be ready to play. They're zeroed in on how important it is. It screws me up because I just want to play the game—I want to get to it, I want to see where we're at, I want to do the best we can—but I also understand this here. It's important for the league, it's important for guys to experience it. I've got to find my way as far as the preparation and leaving them alone and getting them ready. What's made it easy for me is, I have a team with a good [locker] room."

With so much riding on this game, it would make sense for the Flyers to be preparing a little differently, but it doesn't sound like the team is switching up their style too much. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

"I'm leaving them alone," Tortorella said. "We had our practice, we probably won't meet tomorrow. This is where I'm thankful we're able to get them out there for a half hour with their families, to let them enjoy it. Like I said before, I trust our team. They'll be ready to play. I don't have to worry about that because I know they'll be ready to play."

A huge game like this only adds to the culture that the Flyers have been building since their rebuild officially went into effect.

"The word 'belief' is huge for us," Tortorella said. "We're not a team full of stars, we certainly don't have things figured out in the beginning of our process of rebuilding. Belief brings in a lot of good things. If you have the effort and you have the mindset that we're going to do this together, you can stay competitive in this league. That's how we're going about it."

"I think our group has been pretty resilient all year," Farabee said. "I think that, whatever's happened, we've just kept fighting, kept pushing, and put ourselves in a pretty good spot here. Obviously, Jersey is right on our tail, so this is a really big game in terms of the standings, so I think the focus is on getting the two points."

Playing hockey outdoors brings back plenty of fond memories for players, reminiscent of their younger years, when hockey was as simple as skating the days away in someone's backyard rink, an experience Morgan Frost knows very well.

"It was right before COVID, I got to go home for two days after Christmas, and I asked the trainers if I could bring my backup pair of skates," Frost recalls. "I brought them home, and went on the ice with my buddies. When I was growing up, that's all we did all winter, so it's kind of cool to bring back a few memories. It's obviously a little different—you're not in someone's backyard, you're playing in front of however-many-thousand people, but that was one of my favorite things to do growing up."

This game, while touting plenty of weight and meaning in terms of points and standings and seedings, brings out a childlike awe and excitement in these NHL pros. Something as uncomplicated as being in an NFL locker room (the Flyers set up their temporary camp in the Jets' locker room) elicits a joyful reaction. 

"It's incredible," Frost gushes with a big grin on his face. "It's so big. The guys are on the other side of the room, but it feels like it's a different locker room. This facility is unbelievable; I've been saying that all day. Every turn I make around the building, I'm just like, 'Wow, this is awesome.' The setup out there is so cool, too. Very fortunate."

The Flyers will brave the elements against the Devils on Feb. 17 at 8 pm EST. 

Related: Flyers Discuss Excitement, Preparations For Outdoor Game

Related: Two Flyers Prospect Sign Letter to IIHF President

Related: Flyers Name Their New Leadership Group