| First meeting | October 18, 1982[1] |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | November 22, 2025 |
| Next meeting | November 29, 2025 |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 266 |
| All-time series | 136–106–15–9 (NJD)[a] |
| Regular season series | 122–92–15–9 (NJD) |
| Postseason results | 14–14 (tie) |
| Largest victory | NJD 7–0 PHI February 25, 2023 |
| Longest win streak | PHI W9 |
| Current win streak | PHI W1 |
| Postseason history | |
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TheDevils–Flyers rivalry is a rivalry between theNew Jersey Devils and thePhiladelphia Flyers, twoice hockey teams in theMetropolitan Division of theNational Hockey League (NHL). This rivalry has become quite intense inNew Jersey itself, sometimes referred to as the "Battle of the Jersey Turnpike", with the northern part of the state being the Devils fanbase, while the southern part of the state is overwhelmingly Flyers fans due toSouth Jersey's proximity to Philadelphia.[2] The Flyers practice at their training facility inVoorhees Township, New Jersey, and since their Stanley Cup days of1974 and1975, many members of the Cup teams (as well as other Flyers alumni) have lived in South Jersey.
From the time the conferences were realigned and renamed before the1993–94 season until the next realignment at the end of the2013–14 season, the two teams won a combined total of 15 division championships of the 19 titles from the original Atlantic Division, 9–6 in the Devils' favor.
Before relocating to New Jersey, the only notable confrontation between these two franchises occurred in the1978 Stanley Cup preliminary round where the Flyers swept the previously-locatedColorado Rockies in two games. Although these two teams faced each other regularly since the Devils' relocation fromDenver in 1982, the New Jersey–Philadelphia rivalry did not take off until their first playoff meeting since the Devils' relocation in the lockout-shortened1994–95 season, when the Devils eliminated the Flyers in six games in the1995 conference finals en route to winning theStanley Cup.[3] The turning point of the series came in game five, whenClaude Lemieux scored from 65 feet out, sending a wobbly puck past Flyers goalieRon Hextall, with 44 seconds left in regulation of a tie game. The series was considered an upset, as the Devils were the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, while the Flyers had made a dramatic improvement to end their five-year playoff drought by winning the division and the second seed in the Eastern Conference,[3] and were led by eventualHart Memorial Trophy winner, captainEric Lindros. Lindros and Devils captainScott Stevens were afterwards known for their on-ice feuds.[3]
During the1999–2000 regular season, the Devils were leading in both the Eastern Conference and the Atlantic Division, but their 10-game slump near the end of the season resulted in the Flyers overtaking them for both the division title and the first seed in the conference. They would meet once again in the2000 conference finals; this time, the Flyers blew a 3–1 series lead over the Devils, including losing three of the four games played in Philadelphia. The seventh game of this series was the final game for Lindros as a Flyer, who suffered aconcussion at the hands of Stevens, whose controversial hit was viewed by some as the key moment of the Devils' playoff run. The Devils went on to win the2000 Stanley Cup by beating the defending championDallas Stars in six games.
The Flyers finally defeated the Devils in the playoffs in2003–04 when they eliminated the defending Cup champions in a five-game series in the2004 Eastern Conference quarterfinals. The Flyers also defeated the Devils in the2010 Eastern Conference quarterfinals, again in five games,[4] en route to theStanley Cup Final. The latter series was considered a big upset, as the Devils won the Atlantic Division and the second seed in the conference, while the Flyers clinched the seventh seed in a shootout victory over theNew York Rangers on the last day of the regular season.[4] The Flyers finished with a combined regular season and playoff record of 9–2 against the Devils in2009–10.[4]
In the2006–07 season, Devils' goaltenderMartin Brodeur broke Philadelphia legendBernie Parent's single-season wins record of 47 by earning his 48th win against the Flyers. Flyers fans booed Brodeur and the milestone was not announced by the Flyers' public address (PA) announcers,Lou Nolan at the game's end. Nevertheless, Parent offered his praise,[5] even though he did not have the benefit of overtime or shootouts in his era (12 of Brodeur's 48 wins were in overtime or the shootout). Brodeur also notched his 500th career victory at Philadelphia'sWachovia Center in2007–08. This time, the milestone was announced by the PA announcer and was booed. Furthermore, on March 1, 2009, Brodeur recorded his 100th career regular season shutout during a home game versus the Flyers. Brodeur recorded 27 saves in the 3–0 victory.
On October 25, 2008, the Devils played the Flyers at the Wachovia Center where the Flyers won the game 3–2 in overtime. During the overtime period, Flyers forwardSimon Gagne attempted to a score a goal that hit the crossbar. The referee ruled no goal and a replay review confirmed the call. Afterwards, a fan threw a roadflare onto the ice that caused smoke to halt play. The fan who threw the flare ran out of the 11th Street exit of the arena but when the PA announcer asked the crowd to point out the culprit, the home crowd pointed out an innocent Devils fan.[6]
In2010–11, both teams were seemingly headed in different directions. The Devils finished under .500 for the first time since1990–91 and missed the playoffs,[7] while the Flyers led the Atlantic Division steadily and won the division in their final game of the season.
Subsequent results proved otherwise. The teams met in the2012 Eastern Conference semifinals, with the Flyers being heavily favored after dismantling Stanley Cup favorite Pittsburgh in the first round. However, after losing game one, New Jersey won the next four to win the series, 4–1, en route to theStanley Cup Final.[8] New Jersey's victory in game four occurred on Brodeur's 40th birthday, giving him playoff victories over the Flyers in his 20s, 30s, and 40s. The series was characterized by a relentless Devils' forecheck and a virtual shutdown of Philadelphia's offensive weapons. The Devils advanced to defeat the rival New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference finals. However, the trend of defeating the Flyers en route to winning the Stanley Cup was broken when theLos Angeles Kings, coincidentally featuring former FlyersMike Richards,Simon Gagne,Justin Williams,Jeff Carter andJohn Stevens defeated the Devils 4–2 to win their first Stanley Cup.
The2012–13 marked the first time that both the Devils and Flyers missed the playoffs since the Devils started playing in New Jersey. From1982–83 to2011–12, the Devils missed the playoffs eight times and the Flyers six times but never at the same time.
The rivalry was played outdoors for the first time during the2023–24 season when the two teams met in the2024 Stadium Series atMetLife Stadium on February 17, 2024.[9] The Devils won the game 6–3.[10] It was the Devils' second outdoor game in history, and their first victory, following the2014 Stadium Series where the team was also the designated home team even though the game was played atYankee Stadium inNew York City against theirother rivals, the New York Rangers. It was the sixth outdoor game for the Flyers, who have previously played in the2010 and2012 Winter Classics, the2017 and2019 Stadium Series, and the 2021NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe series.
The rivalry has taken on an even further extension; the Flyers had an ECHL affiliate inTrenton, New Jersey, theTrenton Titans, from 1999 to 2006, when the team was sold to the Devils, which flipped the team's affiliation after the2006–07 ECHL season and nickname to reflect its new ownership and identity, rebranding as theTrenton Devils. Intending to establish the Devils fanbase further south in New Jersey, the rebranding instead alienated a large segment of fans in the central New Jersey area, where the Flyers have a significantly larger fanbase than the Devils. Coupled with poor performance on the ice (missing the playoffs three out of four seasons) and attendance figures near the bottom of the league, the Trenton Devils suspended operations in July 2011. A week later, the franchise was revived under the original Titans brand and reestablished affiliation with the Flyers.
For several years, theAmerican Hockey League had a rivalry between theAdirondack Red Wings andCapital District Islanders/Albany River Rats, both served byInterstate 87. After the former team folded, the area was without an AHL team until 2009, when thePhiladelphia Phantoms moved and became theAdirondack Phantoms, still affiliated with the Flyers. The River Rats moved toCharlotte and were replaced by theAlbany Devils in 2010, so the Adirondack-Albany rivalry took on new significance due to the teams' parent clubs until 2014 when the Phantoms moved to Lehigh Valley.
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