Some call it the Battle of Pennsylvania or Keystone State rivalry or Pennsylvania Cold War.
Penguins vs. Flyers is a matchup that dates to the 1960s and has grown in intensity since.
While they have had hundreds of head-to-head meetings in the regular season, this rivalry takes on new life in the Stanley Cup playoffs, where the Flyers hold a 21-20 edge and have won four of seven series.
They will again face off in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Here’s a look the seven previous times the teams have met in the postseason:
1989 Patrick Division final — Flyers 4, Penguins 3
Background: The Flyers (36-36-8) finished fourth in the Patrick Division and beat the Capitals in the first round. Behind the league’s leading scorer, Mario Lemieux (85 goals, 114 assists, 199 points), the Penguins (40-33-7) were second in the Patrick Division and defeated the Rangers in the opening round.
The stars: Tim Kerr had 10 goals and five assists, Brian Propp had six goals and five assists, and Mark Howe added nine assists and was a plus-8 for the Flyers. Goalie Ron Hextall went 3-3 with an .861 save percentage.
Mario Lemieux had nine goals and five assists, and Zarley Zalapski had eight assists to lead the Penguins. Goalie Tom Barrasso went 3-4, allowed 29 goals and had a .874 save percentage.
Key stat: The Flyers had a 31-24 edge in goals, including four short-handed goals to the Penguins’ one.
Deciding game: In Game 7 at the Civic Arena, Propp, Dave Poulin (shorthanded), Mike Bullard (power play) and Scott Mellanby (empty net) scored for the Flyers in a 4-1 win. Ken Wregget made 39 saves to earn the win in goal. Lemieux had the lone goal for the Penguins.
What happened next: The Flyers then lost to the Canadiens, 4-2, in the conference finals.
1997 Eastern Conference quarterfinal — Flyers 4, Penguins 1
Background: The Flyers (45-24-13) finished second in the Atlantic Division. The Penguins (38-36-8) led the league in scoring with 285 goals and placed second in the Northeast Division.
The stars: Eric Lindros had three goals and six assists to lead the Flyers. John LeClair and Rod Brind’Amour each had five points, along with Mikael Renberg and Janne Niinimaa. Garth Snow had a .906 save percentage and went 4-1.
Jaromir Jagr (4 goals, 4 assists) and Lemieux (3 goals, 3 assists) paced the Penguins. Wregget, playing for the Penguins in this series, allowed 18 goals while making 193 saves.
Key stat: Lemieux and Jagr were the only Penguins with multiple goals during the series. Five Flyers had two or more goals.
Deciding game: The Flyers won 6-3 in Game 5 to clinch the series. Brind’Amour scored twice shorthanded, and Lindros, LeClair, Trent Klatt and Vaclav Prospal also scored for the Flyers. Kevin Hatcher, Lemieux and Ron Francis scored for the Penguins.
What happened next: The Flyers eventually lost to the Red Wings, 4-0, in the Stanley Cup Final.
2000 Eastern Conference semifinal — Flyers 4, Penguins 2
Background: The Flyers (45-22-12-3) were the top team in the Atlantic Division after allowing the second-fewest goals in the league. They beat the Sabres in the opening round. The Penguins (37-31-8-6) defeated the Capitals in the opening round.
The stars: Mark Recchi had two goals and six assists, and LeClair and Andy Delmore each had six points for the Flyers. Brian Boucher had a .920 save percentage and allowed 14 goals.
The Penguins were paced by Martin Straka, who had two goals and six assists, and Jaromir Jagr’s five goals and an assist. Ron Tugnutt was 2-4 in goal with a .941 save percentage.
Key stat: Current Flyers coach Rick Tocchet had 35 penalty minutes, as well as an assist and was a plus-1 for the series.
Notable: The series included the longest playoff game in Penguins history — a 2-1 loss to the Flyers in Game 4. Keith Primeau scored the winner in the fifth overtime period, after 152 minutes, 1 second of action.
Deciding game: The Flyers won 2-1 in Game 6 at Mellon Arena. Recchi (power play) and LeClair staked the Flyers to a two-goal lead before Rene Corbet scored for the Penguins in the third period.
What happened next: The Flyers lost to the Devils, 4-3, in the conference finals.
2008 Eastern Conference final — Penguins 4, Flyers 1
Background: The Penguins (47-27-8) accrued 102 points and were first in the Atlantic Division before beating the Senators and Rangers. The Flyers (42-29-11) were fourth in the Atlantic Division and beat the Capitals and Canadiens in the playoffs.
The stars: Marian Hossa had four goals and five assists, Sidney Crosby tallied two goals and five assists, and Ryan Malone and Sergei Gonchar each had six points for the Penguins. Evgeni Malkin added three goals and four assists, and Jordan Staal had four goals. Marc-Andre Fleury was 4-1 with a .939 save percentage and a shutout.
Joffrey Lupul had two goals and two assists, and Plum native R.J. Umberger had a goal and three assists for the Flyers. Martin Biron was 1-4 with a .876 save percentage.
Key stat: The Penguins had 16 players contribute at least one point in the series.
Deciding game: The Penguins shut out Philadelphia, 6-0, in Game 5 at Mellon Arena. Malone had two power-play goals, and Malkin, Hossa, Staal and Pascal Dupuis scored.
What happened next: The Penguins then lost to the Red Wings, 4-2, in the Stanley Cup Final.
2009 Eastern Conference quarterfinal — Penguins 4, Flyers 2
Background: The Penguins (45-28-9) placed second in the Atlantic Division with 99 points. The Flyers (44-27-11) were third in the Atlantic Division and among the top-scoring teams in the NHL.
The stars: Malkin (9 points) and Crosby (8 points) each had four goals in the series. Fleury was 4-2 with a .922 save percentage.
The Flyers were led by Claude Giroux and Mike Richards, with five points apiece. Biron was 2-4 with a .919 save percentage and a shutout.
Key stat: Secondary scoring was key for the Penguins, who got key goals from Tyler Kennedy (2), Ruslan Fedotenko, Mark Eaton (2), Max Talbot and Rob Scuderi.
Deciding game: The Penguins won 5-3 in Game 6 to lock up the series. The Flyers jumped out to a 3-0 lead before Fedotenko, Eaton, Crosby and Gonchar scored. Crosby then added an empty-netter.
What happened next: The Penguins next beat the Capitals and Hurricanes before topping the Red Wings, 4-3, to win the Stanley Cup.
2012 Eastern Conference quarterfinal — Flyers 4, Penguins 2
Background: The second-highest scoring team in the NHL, the Flyers (47-26-9) took third in the Atlantic Division. The Penguins (51-25-6) were second in the Atlantic and the highest-scoring team in the league.
The stars: Giroux had six goals and eight assists, and Daniel Briere had five goals and three assists for the Flyers. Ilya Bryzgalov was 4-2 with a .871 save percentage. Staal led the Penguins in points with six goals and three assists. Crosby and Malkin each had three goals and five assists. Fleury was 2-4 with a .834 save percentage.
Key stat: Jagr, playing for the Flyers in this series, had a goal and six assists against his former team.
Deciding game: The Flyers won 5-1 in a convincing Game 6 at Wells Fargo Center. Giroux, Scott Hartnell, Erik Gustafsson, Briere and Brayden Schenn all scored. Malkin had the Penguins’ lone goal on the power play.
What happened next: The Flyers lost to the Devils, 4-1, in the conference semifinals.
2018 Eastern Conference first round — Penguins 4, Flyers 2
Background: The Penguins (47-29-6) placed second in the Metropolitan Division under coach Mike Sullivan. The Flyers (42-26-14) were third in the Metropolitan Division.
The stars: Crosby and Jake Guentzel each had six goals and seven assists as the Penguins scored 77 goals in the series. Matt Murray was 4-2 with a .911 save percentage and 13 goals allowed.
Sean Couturier paced the Flyers with five goals and four assists. Giroux was among four players who had three points.
Key stat: The Penguins scored 10 power-play goals, including three from Crosby, compared to just four for the Flyers.
Deciding game: In Game 6 at Wells Fargo Center, Guentzel scored four straight goals spanning the second and third periods, and Bryan Rust added an empty-netter as the Penguins won 8-5. Crosby, Carl Hagelin and Patric Hornqvist also scored.
What happened next: The Penguins lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Capitals, 4-2, in the second round.