You can’t exactly pick your opponent when you get to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but it seems almost fitting that the Philadelphia Flyers will meet the intrastate rival Pittsburgh Penguins in their long-awaited return to the NHL postseason.
This will mark the first playoff meeting between the clubs in eight years, and the eighth time they’ve faced each other overall in their nearly six decades of NHL membership. Here’s a look back at how each of those series has shaken out, as well as any notable fallout from the results.
The Flyers and Penguins will renew their long and hatred-filled rivalry this spring
1989 Patrick Division Finals
Somehow, it took over two decades of the teams co-existing for them to meet in the playoffs, mostly because the Penguins were bad for long stretches. Finally, in the second round of the 1989 playoffs, the two teams collided. They traded wins for the first six games of an entertaining series, including a crazy 10-7 Pens victory in Game 5, and it all came down to Game 7 in Pittsburgh.
Flyers starting goalie Ron Hextall was dealing with an injury, forcing backup Ken Wregget into the crease for a winner-take-all match at the Igloo. Wregget had been acquired from Toronto at the deadline just over a month earlier and had made only three appearances for the team to that point, but he stood tall in Game 7 by making 39 saves on 40 shots in a 4-1 Flyers win.
It was the first win in a Game 7 on the road in Flyers history. They would go on to fall to Montreal in the Wales Conference Finals that year. Despite his heroics, Wregget’s folklore status in team history has largely faded. He spent three more years with the Flyers before they traded him to the Penguins in time for him to be a part of their 1992 Cup championship team, and he established himself as one of the better tandem/backup goalies in the league for years.
1997 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
The heavily favored Flyers took care of business in the first three games, winning 5-1, 3-2, and 5-3 decisions. But the big drama occurred in Game 4, as Mario Lemieux scored a breakaway goal with a minute to play to cement a 4-1 Penguins win and bring the house down in his home building. It was to be Mario’s farewell to his fans, as the Flyers eliminated the Penguins 6-3 back in Philadelphia three nights later. The classy Flyers crowd gave Lemieux a farewell salute as he headed into retirement. The Flyers cruised to the Cup Final, and we don’t really need to get into what happened once they got there.
Oh, and of course Lemieux came out of retirement several years later. He never faced the Flyers in the playoffs again, though.
2000 Eastern Conference Semifinals
The Flyers and Penguins played a lot of hockey in the 2000 playoffs. After dropping the first two games at home in miserable fashion, the Eric Lindros-less Flyers were on the ropes as they headed to Pittsburgh. Game 3 went to overtime, and Andy Delmore played the hero by scoring the winner in a 4-3 Flyers victory. That set the stage for a pivotal Game 4 on May 4th (and 5th), 2000.
Alex Kovalev opened the scoring for Pittsburgh two minutes in, and John LeClair responded in the second period to tie the game. Then the teams traded zeroes. And zeroes. And more zeroes. Finally, in the fifth overtime, with 152:01 of game time elapsed that evening/early morning, Keith Primeau delivered the goal of a lifetime to propel the Flyers to the win.
The Penguins weren’t coming back from that, and the Flyers romped in Game 5 behind a Delmore hat trick and won a tight Game 6 to advance to the East Finals. Then Lindros came back, and there was some incident with Scott Stevens mixed in there somewhere; I can’t remember the details.
2008 Eastern Conference Finals
The Flyers made a surprising run to the third round, but the Penguins were waiting for them and quickly put the Flyers in a 0-3 hole. The games weren’t blowouts, but the Flyers came out on the wrong end of 4-2, 4-2, and 4-1 final scores to put their backs against the wall. The Flyers managed to salvage a 4-2 win of their own in Game 4 to keep their hopes briefly alive, but the Penguins put an end to any comeback dreams with a decisive 6-0 victory in Game 5 to advance to the Cup Final. Thankfully, they wouldn’t win it that year.
2009 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
The two Pennsylvania clubs met in the first round of the playoffs for what looked like a very even matchup. The first two games in Pittsburgh were rough for the Flyers, and a Bill Guerin OT goal in the second game sent the Flyers back home down 0-2. The Flyers pulled themselves off the mat with a 6-3 win in Game 3, but any momentum was lost in a 3-1 setback in Game 4. Facing elimination in Pittsburgh in Game 5 just like they had the year before, this year’s Flyers responded with a 3-0 shutout win on the strength of 28 saves from Martin Biron.
It was back to Philadelphia for Game 6, and things started great for the Flyers, as they built a 3-0 lead. But the game turned when Dan Carcillo fought Max Talbot for some reason, energizing the Pens and seeing them stage a furious comeback to win 5-3 and end the series. It was a shocking finish to the Flyers’ season, and unfortunately, those Penguins went on to win the Stanley Cup that year.
2012 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
This series was absolutely unhinged. Game 1 saw the Penguins take a 3-0 lead into the first intermission on home ice, only for the Flyers to rally to tie the game and then win it in overtime on a goal by Jakub Voracek. In Game 2, the Flyers erased 2-0 and 3-1 deficits with another comeback, winning 8-5. The offensive onslaught continued when the series shifted back to Philadelphia, with the Flyers putting up an 8-4 win. Then, with a chance to close things out with a sweep, the Flyers failed the task miserably in a 10-3 loss. Yes, ten goals. So, back to Pittsburgh for Game 5.
In the only game of the series that can reasonably be termed “normal”, the Penguins staved off elimination once again, coming from behind in a 3-2 win. At that point, Flyers fans everywhere were chewing their fingernails down to the nub, wondering how the team would come out in Game 6. But Claude Giroux eased all tensions immediately by leveling Crosby and scoring a goal in the opening minute, pacing the team in a 5-1 win to send them onto the second round. There was a brief talk about Giroux having reached Crosby’s level, but even the most ardent Flyers fan has to look back on that and declare it a mistake. Still, it was a great feeling at the time.
2018 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
At this point, the Penguins were two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, and the Flyers had an opportunity in front of them to eliminate the Pens before their title defense could really get started. Reality set in early, however, as the Flyers took it on the chin in Game 1, a brutal 7-0 loss. They somehow recovered to win Game 2 by a convincing 5-1 score, but they were knocked around in their own building in Games 3 and 4. It looked like Game 5 in Pittsburgh would be a mere formality.
Yet, as these things often play out, the Flyers loosened up and played a solid road game, winning 4-2 and bringing things back home. Things were again looking good midway through the game with the Flyers up 4-2, but they quickly fell apart from there. The Penguins closed the gap to 4-3, then Jake Guentzel ripped off four straight goals to give Pittsburgh a 7-4 lead and an eventual 8-5 win. Sean Couturier had a hat trick in the losing effort, a game that still stands as the last playoff action in Philadelphia until mere days from now.
2026 Metropolitan Division First Round
It’s anyone’s guess how this series will work out. Is this the ignition point for a renewal of this rivalry, or just an anomaly that was delivered to us out of nowhere? And is this the last time that the Flyers will see Sidney Crosby and company on this stage?
One thing is for sure — both teams will be ready, and they have to be willing to pay the price if they want to advance. Ultimately, it’s a tremendous feeling to have playoff hockey back, especially when it’s between these two teams.
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