Philadelphia Flyers: 5 Best Games Prior to Winter Classic

The Philadelphia Flyers have gotten off to a surprisingly strong start considering all of the new faces wearing orange and black.

Let's look forward to what is coming up before the January 2 Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park.

After a relatively mundane November schedule things really ramp up in December. Every week offers rivalry games, or top-level opponents.

Here are five matchups that you won't want to miss.

November 26 at New York Rangers

This will be the first matchup between the 2012 NHL Winter Classic participants.

The Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers already have a heated rivalry and thanks to that little outdoor game, both of the preceding matchups will be even more meaningful.

The Flyers will take their deep, relentless offensive attack up to Madison Square Garden and try to get the better of Henrik Lundqvist, one of the best goaltenders in the world.

Oh, and who knows what might happen with troublemakers Sean Avery and Zac Rinaldo sharing the same ice.

Don't be surprised if the bad blood and animosity start here and grow all the way up to the Winter Classic showdown.

December 13 at Washington Capitals

On December 13 the Flyers will make their way down to Washington to take on Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals.

Every game in this series is a must watch and these two teams could be jockeying for a position near the top of the conference.

The battles between the captains, Chris Pronger and Ovechkin, never disappoint.

The Flyers will be seeking revenge for the 5-2 loss that they suffered in Philadelphia.

Following this game these two elites won't meet again until March, so don't miss this one.

December 17 vs. Boston Bruins

The Flyers and their fans have not forgotten the embarrassing beatdown that the Boston Bruins handed them during last year's playoffs.

A season-opening win in Boston was nice, but it will take a lot more to fully remove that bitter taste.

The Bruins are the reigning champs and are playing this season with that target on their backs.

Fans of the orange and black will be anxious to see the Flyers take on Zdeno Chara's boys at the Wells Fargo Center.

December 21 at Dallas Stars

The Flyers will travel to Dallas to take on the Stars on December 21.

It comes as a surprise to many casual fans, but the Stars are the first NHL team to reach 10 wins this year. Their roster is not loaded with household names, but make no mistake, this is a quality team.

Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen has been spectacular. He currently has a Goals Against Average of 2.14 and leads the league with 10 victories.

This is the only meeting between these teams during the regular season. Barring a Stanley Cup rematch, this midseason tilt is the only chance to see these two teams play each other.

December 29 at Pittsburgh Penguins

This could be the most anticipated game on the Flyers entire schedule, excluding the Winter Classic.

This late December game will be the second meeting between the Flyers and the Penguins, but the first being played in Pittsburgh.

Jaromir Jagr and Maxime Talbot will be making their first trip to the steel city as members of the Flyers. Jagr is an all-time great and Talbot is a Penguins playoff hero.

The city of Pittsburgh is sure to give these defectors an enthusiastic "welcome" home.

These Atlantic Division rivals always get up to play each other.