In just four days the Philadelphia Flyers will host the New York Rangers in the 2012 edition of the NHL Winter Classic, which will be played at Citizen Bank Park, Jan. 2 (1 p.m. ET on NBC). This will be the second time the Flyers franchise will play in the NHL's annual outdoor game that begin in 2008 when the Buffalo Sabres hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
It was just two years ago, that Philadelphia lost in overtime to the Boston Bruins, 2-1, at Fenway Park. It was also the second time in the game's history that the contest couldn't be decided in regulation -- Pittsburgh defeated Buffalo, 2-1, in a shootout.
The recent history of these two legendary Eastern Conference Atlantic Division franchises, features the Flyers and Rangers already playing twice this season, as New York won both contests.
On Nov. 26, the Rangers used goals from center Brad Richards and right winger Brandon Prust, and 29 saves from goaltender Henrik Lundqvist to blank visiting Philadelphia, 2-0.
And, just a few days ago, Dec. 23, the Rangers used another solid effort by Lundqvist (28 saves) to beat the Flyers, 4-2.
Here's a composite final score history of the NHL's Winter Classic:
2008: Pittsburgh Penguins 2, Buffalo Sabres 1 (SO) -- Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, NY
2009: Detroit Red Wings 6, Chicago Black Hawks 4 -- Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL
2010: Boston Bruins 2, Flyers 1 (OT) -- Fenway Park in Boston, MA
2011: Washington Capitals 3, Penguins 1 -- Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA
For more on the Winter Classic, check out SB Nation Philly's StoryStream. For more on the Flyers, visit our team page or our blog, Broad Street Hockey.