Highlights of the Pens-Flyers all-time playoff matchups

PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The season series tied 2-2, although both Pens losses were in overtime. As the Pens return to the post-season for the first time in four years, they get the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

It’s the first postseason matchup in eight years and there have been some really interesting battles.

Here is a look at the Pens and Flyers all-time playoff matchups.

1988-89 Divisional finals, Flyers won 4-3

• Series tied 2-2, Pens won game 5 at home 10-7, Mario Lemieux had a natural hat trick to start the game and added two more goals and three assists for one of the greatest playoff performances in NHL history.
• Flyers took game 6 at home 6-2 and then won Game 7 4-1 at the Civic Arena
• There were 21 penalties in Game 7, 2 by current Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet, both for roughing
• Lemieux had 9 goals in the series

1996-97 Conference quarterfinals, Flyers won 4-1

• Flyers won the first three games of the series
• Only one game was decided by one goal
• Jaromir Jagr had 4 goals in the series, Lemieux had 3
• 15 penalties in the deciding game

1999-2000 Conference semifinals, Flyers won 4-2

• Pens won 1^st two games by a combined 6-1
• Flyers evened series with win in five-overtime game Game 4 in Pittsburgh
• Flyers outscored Pens in series 15-14
• 37 penalties in Game 2-Tocchet had a game misconduct for Philly, current Philly GM Keith Jones had 3 different roughing penalties
• Jagr had 5 goals in the series

2007-08 Eastern Conference Finals, Pens won 4-1

• Pens outscored Flyers 20-9 in series
• 22 penalties in Game 4 (16 for either roughing, fighting or charging)
• Marc-Andre Fleury with a shutout in Game 5
• Evgeni Malkin had 4 goals in series including a blast on a breakaway in Game 5 at home

2008-09 Conference quarterfinals, Pens won 4-2

• Pens won a pair of games in Philadelphia
• 93.7 The Fan Pens analyst Tyler Kennedy had the game-winning goal in Game 1 and Game 4
• Bill Guerin scored in OT to win Game 2
• 20 penalties in Game 3 that Philly won
• Malkin and Sidney Crosby each had 4 goals in series

2011-12 Conference quarterfinals, Flyers won 4-2

• Pens scored 26 goals in series
• Flyers won 1^st 3 games in series
• Pens blew 3-0 lead to lose 4-3 in overtime in game one at home
• Pens blew 3-1 and 5-4 lead in Game 2 to fall 8-5, Jagr scored for Philly
• 32 penalties in Game 3 including roughing and fighting penalties by Crosby
• Pens stayed alive with 10-3 win in Game 4 in Philly, 24 penalties
• Kennedy had the Game 5 game-winning goal

2017-18 Conference First Round, Pens won 4-2

• Pens outscored Flyers 28-15
• Crosby had natural hat trick to finish Game 1 in Matt Murray 7-0 shutout
• Murray had 2^nd shutout in Game 4, 5-0, Malkin/Crosby/Kris Letang scored
• Flyers took lead in Game 5 with 1:15 to play on Sean Couturier goal
• Game 6, after Flyers had 4-2 lead, Pens scored next 5 including 4 straight goals by Jake Guentzel to win 8-5 and close series
• Guentzel and Crosby each had 6 goals in the series

Philly might be the hottest team in the league. The Pens are the most surprising.

Here we go! This should be a blast!