The NHL's annual Stadium Series is set to return this coming weekend as the Columbus Blue Jackets will host the Detroit Red Wings in Ohio on Saturday, March 1.
Beginning in 2014, the Stadium Series is among the several annual NHL regular season games to be played outdoors. Differing from the Winter Classic—held on or around New Year's Day—and the Heritage Classic—played in Canadian football stadiums—the Stadium Series generally takes place in late February or early March and is played in either NFL or college football stadiums.
This year's contest between the Blue Jackets and Red Wings will take place at Ohio State University's Ohio Stadium. Here's a look at what "The Horseshoe" will look like for the event:
A #StadiumSeries preview. 👀
— NHL (@NHL) February 25, 2025
Don't miss the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL #StadiumSeries this Saturday at 6p ET on @espn in the US and on FX & @Sportsnet+ in Canada! pic.twitter.com/bxCQwwelxo
Puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m. EST.
Prior to Saturday's contest, let's take a trip down memory lane and take a look at the top five Stadium Series games ever played:
5. Anaheim Ducks vs. Los Angeles Kings, 2014
Date: January 25, 2014
Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
Venue: Dodger Stadium
Score: Ducks 3, Kings 0
Why it ranks No. 5: While not much of a competitive contest, Jan. 2014's matchup between the Kings and Ducks makes the list as it was the first Stadium Series game in NHL history.
The spectacle of this one was the fact that it took place in a warm weather city. Los Angeles hit a high of 75 degrees that day, but the ice stayed cool enough for the Ducks to come away with a 3-0 victory.
Anaheim's goals were scored by Corey Perry, Matt Belesky, and Andrew Cogliano—while goalie Jonas Hiller made 36 saves and shoutout the eventual Stanley Cup champion Kings.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Chicago Blackhawks, 2014
Date: March 1, 2014
Location: Chicago, Ill.
Venue: Soldier Field
Score: Blackhawks 5, Penguins 1
Why it ranks No. 4: With Sidney Crosby—who at the time was considered to be the NHL's best player— and the Pittsburgh Penguins in town, the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks put on a show to wrap up the NHL's inaugural Stadium Series.
Several Blackhawks legends brought their A-game for this one from Chicago's legendary Soldier Field. Both Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp tallied two goals and one assist apiece, with Patrick Kane also notching an apple on a second-period score from Kris Versteeg.
Despite allowing five goals, Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury rocked a pretty sweet Steelers-inspired mask while in net.
3. Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Washington Capitals, 2018
Date: March 3, 2018
Location: Annapolis, Md.
Venue: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Score: Capitals 5, Maple Leafs 2
Why it ranks No. 3: 2018's lone Stadium Series game took place on Saturday, March 3—and was the first ever to include a Canadian team with the Toronto Maple Leafs visiting the Washington Capitals.
What made this one even more special was where it was played. In the first of several NHL contests to eventually be hosted by military service academies, this one took place at the United States Naval Academy's Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md.
The Capitals came out victorious in this one by a score of 5-1.
2. Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 2019
Date: February 23, 2019
Location: Philadelphia, Pa.
Venue: Lincoln Financial Field
Score: Flyers 4, Penguins 3 (OT)
Why it ranks No. 2: Not only did 2019's Stadium Series contest bring nostalgia with a classic cross-state rivalry, but it ended with an incredible Flyers comeback over the Penguins.
Trailing 3-1 late in the third quarter, Philly netted two goals in the final five minutes of regulation before Claude Giroux scored less than two minutes into overtime and captured a 4-3 win in the Eagles' home stadium.
1. New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders, 2024
Date: February 18, 2024
Location: East Rutherford, N.J.
Venue: MetLife Stadium
Score: Rangers 6, Islanders 5 (OT)
Why it ranks No. 1: Last February's matchup between the New York Rangers and New York Islanders was the NHL's most recent Stadium Series event—and was by far the best.
An eventual 6-5 barnburner, the Rangers fell into a 4-1 deficit early in the second period before outscoring the Islanders 5-1 over the final 39:07. Artemi Panerin netted the game-winning goal just ten seconds into overtime.
This was also the most attended Stadium Series game in NHL history with a number of 79,690—just shy of MetLife Stadium's 82,500 capacity.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ranking the Best NHL Stadium Series Games of All Time.