With the Battle of Pennsylvania poised to resume in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade, what better time than now to take a trip down memory lane and revisit some of the highs and lows from when the Penguins and Flyers have squared off against one another in the postseason?
2018 – Jake Guentzel scores 4 goals to eliminate Philadelphia
The last time the Penguins and the Flyers met in the postseason was in 2018 as Pittsburgh was trying to become the first time to win three straight Stanley Cup titles in 35 years at the time.
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The Penguins were the two-time defending champions and opened the series with a bang, defeating Philadelphia 7-0.
The series managed not to feature many close games as the Flyers won Game 2 by a score of 5-1 and the Penguins snatched a 3-1 series lead with 5-1 and 5-0 wins in Games 3 and 4.
Philadelphia stayed alive with a road win in Game 5, sending things back to Philadelphia for a pivotal Game 6.
In that sixth and final game of the series, Jake Guentzel put on a show, scoring a natural hat trick, including two goals in 10 seconds en route to an 8-5 win.
2012 – Chaos reigns in the Battle of Pennsylvania
It’s hard to believe it’s been 14 years since the Penguins and Flyers stole all of the headlines in the 2012 season.
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The Penguins were Stanley Cup contenders and going into the postseason, the only thing people knew to expect was chaos following the late-regular season contest between the two cross-state rivals.
Pittsburgh Penguins v Philadelphia Flyers – Game Four
From teams unable to keep pucks out of their own nets to all-out brawls on the ice leading to fines and suspensions, it was must-watch television while being hard to watch at the same time.
We even got to see Sidney Crosby pass the baton to Claude Giroux, what would become a running joke for quite some time.
2009 – Max Talbot’s ‘shh’ moment and a Pens comeback for the ages
Seventeen years ago, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup and their first round opponent that year was none other than the Philadelphia Flyers.
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During that opening series of the postseason, the Penguins had gotten out to a 2-0 lead and a 3-1 series lead before the Flyers sent things back to Philadelphia for a Game 6.
Things didn’t start out well for the Penguins that game.
Mike Knuble, Joffrey Lupul, and Danny Briere gave the Flyers a 3-0 lead before a Max Talbot fight against Dan Carcillo gave the Penguins a spark.
Five unanswered goals followed with Sidney Crosby tying the game, later scoring an empty-netter to put the game and series on ice.
2008 – Penguins blow past the Flyers en route to the Stanley Cup Final
When the Penguins returned to the playoffs with their new, young core in 2007, it was clearly evident they weren’t ready for what the postseason provides.
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The team flipped that narrative in 2008, ripping through the first two rounds against the Senators and Rangers, only losing one game in two series.
Up next in the Eastern Conference Final were the Flyers and the Penguins got off to a hot start there, as well.
The Penguins won the first three games of the series, including in the opening game when Evgeni Malkin infamously ripped a slap shot past Martin Biron on a breakaway.
Philadelphia avoided a sweep with a win in Game 4, but the Penguins put the Flyers away with a 6-0 blowout in Game 6 at the Mellon Arena.
2000 – Philadelphia wins a marathon overtime game
When the Penguins and Flyers met in the 2000 playoffs, it was their third-ever postseason meeting.
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Pittsburgh jumped out to a 2-0 series lead and things seemed to be going well. Little did anyone know they wouldn’t win another game.
The Penguins forced overtime with a late Jaromir Jagr goal in Game 3, but came up short and then in Game 4, the two teams made history.
Alexei Kovalev and John LeClair each scored goals for the teams, leaving things tied midway through the 2nd period.
The Penguins and Flyers would play a scoreless third period and four scoreless overtime periods, heading a fifth overtime frame before Keith Primeau scored a game-winner in the third-longest game in NHL history.
Philadelphia would win Game 5 and Game 6 to eliminate the Penguins.
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1997 – Mario Lemieux gets standing ovation in Philadelphia as he retires
When the Battle of Pennsylvania was held in 1997, Mario Lemieux received a standing ovation in Philadelphia for the second time in his career after being eliminated by the Flyers.
Several years prior, Lemieux received an ovation from Flyers fans when he returned from Hodgkin’s lymphoma and it was the same story at the end of the 1997 playoffs.
The Flyers defeated the Penguins 4-1 in the series and Lemieux said goodbye to the NHL with the world not knowing he would make a comeback a few years later.
After the Penguins were eliminated, a Lemieux farewell message was posted on the scoreboard and the fans in the arena gave Lemieux a proper sendoff to retirement.
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