With some fans paying more than a $1,000 a seat on the secondary market, the stadium was full to the end. Though, most of them went home unhappy.

Rookie Brayden Schenn and Claude Giroux scored to give the Flyers the early lead, as it appeared that the home team would finally win its first game against New York this year.

Schenn, a prized rookie sent over from Los Angeles in the Mike Richards deal over the summer, scored his first career goal midway through the second period, setting off the Liberty Bell in right field normally reserved for Phillies home runs.

Giroux showed a national audience how he's blossomed into an MVP candidate with a backhander 1:55 later for his 18th goal and a 2-0 lead. But the Flyers couldn't beat Lundqvist again.

That didn't stop the diehards, though, from being entertained by hometown band, The Roots, and national anthem singer Patti LaBelle.

The trash-can fires gave the game a "Rocky" feel and the pitchers' mound and home plate area were left exposed. It was 41 degrees when the opening faceoff dropped just after 3 p.m., and temperatures dipped the next three hours. The start time was pushed back two hours to protect the rink from the sun.

Mike Hewitt / Getty Images The Week in Sports Pictures

"It was something special," Jagr said. "I wish everyone in the NHL can get a chance to play in that game."

New York received a dose of good news long before the final horn. Defenseman Marc Staal made his return to the lineup after a seasonlong absence from a concussion.

Staal, who turns 25 in January, has been out all season with the effects of a concussion sustained in February when he was hit by his brother, Eric, a forward for the Carolina Hurricanes. He has been skating this month and was cleared for light contact.

Notes: The NHL used 20,000 gallons of water for the rink. ... The Flyers played in their second Winter Classic in two years and have lost both. ... The road team is 4-0-1 in the Winter Classic. ... Commissioner Gary Bettman held a postgame press conference and reiterated that he had no idea where the Classic will be held next year.