Top 5 NHL Stadium Series games of all-time

By Ryan Gagne

Modified Feb 14, 2024 01:45 GMT

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The upcoming Stadium Series games will be the 14th and 15th editions of the event, which will take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, on Feb. 17 and Feb. 18.

Centrally located among four Metropolitan Division rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers will visit the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, followed by the Battle of New York, when the Rangers visit the Islanders on Sunday.

This year will mark the Flyers and Rangers' third time participating in the Stadium Series, while the Devils and Islanders are making their second appearances.

Considering these outdoor games will be the center of attention on the weekend, with an estimated 80,000 fans in attendance, we thought looking back at the best Stadium Series games would be fun.

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Top 5 NHL Stadium Series games of all-time

#5. Los Angeles Kings at San Jose Sharks - Levi Stadium (2015)

When the casual fan thinks of hockey, never in their wildest dreams would they expect to see an outdoor game played in California.

However, San Francisco is known for bone-chilling winds, so despite being a relatively warm place year-round, it can get cold in the Bay area, the host city of the 2015 Stadium Series contest between the San Jose Sharks (home) and Los Angeles Kings (visitors).

In this thrilling contest in front of a record-setting 70,205 fans at Levi Stadium, the Kings would win 2-1 on a Marian Gaborik third-period goal, allowing Los Angeles to leapfrog San Jose in the standings into the final wildcard spot. As of 2024, this is one of only four outdoor games to be decided by a single goal.

#4. Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers - Lincoln Financial Field (2019)

By 2019, the Pittsburgh Penguins had played in three Stadium Series games, including an interstate rivalry matchup with the Flyers at Heinze Field in 2017. During the first encounter between the two Pennsylvania franchises, the hometown Penguins won 4-2, leaving the Flyers to seek revenge in the 2019 rematch.

At a jam-packed Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia defended their home turf with a close 4-3 overtime victory to even the personal Stadium Series rivalry with the Penguins at one win apiece.

Interestingly, Pittsburgh never trailed at any point of the game, building a 3-1 lead, forcing the Flyers to tie the contest in the dying seconds. Eventually, Claude Giroux would net the game-winner just 1:59 into overtime.

#3. Tampa Bay Lightning at Nashville Predators - Nissan Stadium (2022)

The Tampa Bay Lighting played spoilers in the 2022 Stadium Series game, defeating the hometown Nashville Predators 3-2 at Nissan Field. Captain and 500-goal scorer Steven Stamkos had the game-winner at 11:31 of the third period, the only lamplighter of the contest that wasn't on the powerplay.

The Predators scored first before conceding three straight to the Lightning, who held on for the one-goal victory. Each team went two-for-four on the man advantage, while Stamkos factored in on every Tampa Bay goal.

#2. Pittsburgh Penguins at Chicago Blackhawks - Solider Field (2014)

When the Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks met at the historic Soldier Field, built in 1924, for their 2014 Stadium Series matchup, neither team was a stranger to the national spotlight and NHL outdoor games, with both franchises already participating in the Winter Classic.

However, the Blackhawks became the first defending Stanley Cup champions to play outdoors in the Stadium Series, quickly dispatching the Penguins in a 5-1 triumph. During the contest, Chicago captain Jonathan Toews became the second player in event history to score two goals, joining Mats Zuccarello.

#1. New Jersey Devils at New York Yankees - Yankee Stadium (2014)

The second-ever Stadium Series game occurred on Jan. 26, 2014, at the iconic Yankee Stadium in Bronx, NY, featuring the Rangers defeating the Devils 7-3.

After trailing 3-2 at the end of the first period, they scored an outdoor record (at the time) of four goals in the second while sealing their win with another goal in the third. The Rangers' seven goals that afternoon remain an NHL record for any outdoor game.

New York's Zuccarello won first star honors with two goals, while New Jersey's Patrick Elias was the second star with two goals. Additionally, Derek Stepan scored the first-ever penalty shot in outdoor history, the game's final goal at 10:06 of the third period.