By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Saturday night marks the third time the Flyers will take it outside with an outdoor hockey game.
Previously, the Flyers took to the ice at Fenway Park in Boston in 2010 and Citizens Bank Park in 2012. Heinz Field is set to join the group of outdoor venues to host a game featuring the Orange and Black.
Ahead of Saturday night’s festivities in Pittsburgh, here’s a look back at the two previous outdoor games for the Flyers and things to focus on in Saturday night’s game.
January 1, 2010 – Flyers-Bruins
With the Green Monster at Fenway serving as a backdrop, the Flyers hit the ice in what is now their usual road uniform.
The 2010 NHL Winter Classic marked just the third in the event’s history, and with this coming at a time when outdoor games were a once-a-year event, the Flyers participation made it all the more exciting.
The highlight of the first period was the first fight in Winter Classic history, as Dan Carcillo and Shawn Thornton dropped the gloves.
After a scoreless first period, the Flyers got on the board first with a long point shot from Danny Svyret. It was Syvret’s first NHL goal, and it came on a fluke play of sorts as Bruins goalie Tim Thomas gave a shove to Scott Hartnell, who was providing a screen and the low shot went right under the Boston netminder.
Syvret only played in 27 NHL games for the Flyers while having an extensive career in the AHL for the last several seasons. He joined a German league prior to the 2016-17 season.
The Flyers lead held up until the final three minutes of the game. Kimmo Timonen took a tripping call with 3:52 remaining in the game and Boston capitalized with former Flyer Mark Recchi deflecting a Derek Morris shot past Michael Leighton to tie the game with 2:18 to play.
In overtime, the Flyers had chances, notably a two-on-one with Danny Briere and Mike Richards. The hectic overtime came to an end just short of two minutes into overtime. Patrice Bergeron fed a pass into the slot for another deflection by Marco Sturm for the game-winning goal at 1:57.
The Bruins edged the Flyers in shots, 26-25, with the final shot being the difference.
Later in the year, the two teams would meet in the Eastern Conference semi-final. Of course, the Bruins took a 3-0 series lead before the Flyers improbable comeback in the series and Game 7 helped them advance to the Eastern Conference Final and eventually the Stanley Cup Final.
January 2, 2012 – Flyers-Rangers
The Flyers second outdoor game was right in their backyard at the nearby Citizens Bank Park. With Philly playing host to the fifth Winter Classic, the event proved to be a roaring success for a fan base that is always fully invested in the Flyers organization. It also helped that a longtime rival in the New York Rangers was the visiting team.
The game featured a scoreless first period and the struggle to score on netminders Henrik Lundqvist and Sergei Bobrovsky stretched into the second period.
Finally at 12:26 of the second, the first goal of the game came for the Flyers.
Just like in their first Winter Classic appearance two years earlier, the first Flyers goal was also a first NHL goal, as Brayden Schenn put home a rebound.
Just 1:55 later, Claude Giroux finished off a partial breakaway with a nice feed from Max Talbot to make it 2-0.
The 2-0 margin lasted all of 30 seconds before Michael Rupp scored for the Rangers to cut the lead in half. The second period ended with the Flyers still holding a 2-1 lead, but with momentum shifting to the Rangers.
Rupp struck again at 2:41 to tie the game. The two-goal game was a rarity for Rupp, known more for his tough-guy image than his scoring. Coming into the game, Rupp had one goal on the season.
Just 2:40 after Rupp tallied the equalizer, Brad Richards broke the tie with a goal from a sharp angle to give the Rangers the lead with 14:39 to play.
The Rangers controlled most of the final period, outshooting the Flyers, 16-10, in the final 20 minutes. The Flyers would get a golden opportunity to tie the game with 5:12 remaining when Ryan McDonagh was called for a delay of game penalty, but the Flyers could not do anything with the power play.
Trying to come up with the tying goal in a feverish rally in the final minutes, two rare occurrences happened.
The Rangers cleared the zone and Ryan Callahan appeared to have an open lane to the puck to score into an empty net. Kimmo Timonen tied him up and was called for interference, but Callahan also got called for holding the stick, keeping play at even strength with 1:06 to go.
With 20 seconds to go, the Flyers go the puck into the crease on Lundqvist. The veteran goalie kept the puck out, but had some help from McDonagh, who used his hand to cover the puck, resulting in a penalty shot.
So it was one-on-one, Danny Briere against Henrik Lundqvist. With the outdoor conditions leaving a lot of snow on the ice surface, there wasn’t much Briere could do in terms of making a move, so he tried a quick shot toward the five-hole of Lundqvist which was turned aside.
The Flyers made one last push at the buzzer, but fell to the Rangers by a final of 3-2.
Five Notes on Flyers-Penguins
- This is the first time the Flyers are playing in the Stadium Series as opposed to the Winter Classic. In the Flyers previous two outdoor games, it was the annual event held over New Year’s. This time, the Flyers head outside in late February. The Stadium Series has added the marvel of outdoor games without a set date. That said, being the third outdoor game of the season brings about a lot less fanfare, especially given that the Flyers and Penguins are trending in different directions.
- Another difference in this game as opposed to the previous two Winter Classics is the start time. The Winter Classic in 2010 was an afternoon affair. The 2012 Winter Classic had a delayed start of 3 p.m., but still concluded by the evening hours. Puck drop for this game is set for 8 p.m.
- The Flyers become just the sixth NHL team to play in three outdoor games with Saturday's contest. The Penguins are playing in their fourth outdoor game. This is the first time the Penguins will play in an outdoor game as the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Their first appearance came in the 2008, one season prior to winning the Stanley Cup. Heinz Field is also the first venue to host two outdoor hockey games.
- One of the two teams will suffer their third loss in an outdoor game. The Penguins won in a shootout in their first Winter Classic appearance in Buffalo, but lost their previous two outdoor games. The Flyers are 0-2 in outdoor games.
- The Flyers-Penguins rivalry has recently been about one team having the other's number with the transition of success. In 2011-12, the Flyers posted a 3-1-0 record in the regular season against the Penguins and defeated them in six games in the playoffs. In the lockout-shortened 2013 season, the Penguins posted a 3-1-0 record. In 2013-14, the Flyers were 4-0-0 against the Penguins. In 2015-16, it was the Penguins who posted a 3-1-0 record. So far in 2016-17, the Penguins have won the only meeting of the four this season. So success has changed hands several times in this rivalry. Of course, in that time, the Penguins have the one thing that Flyers don't — a Stanley Cup title in 2015-16.
