"Bill Guerin appeared in his 1,220th NHL game when the Penguins faced the Philadelphia Flyers last night at the Wachovia Center.

Since breaking into the league with New Jersey in 1991-92, he has played on no fewer than eight teams, with stops in five divisions and four time zones.

Along the way, Guerin has been immersed in some serious rivalries and, while he is still relatively new to the one between the Penguins and Flyers, has seen enough to conclude that it compares favorably to just about any.

That's pretty impressive, since a partial rundown of the competition for that distinction includes New Jersey-New York Rangers, Edmonton-Calgary, Boston-Montreal and New York Islanders-Rangers.

"It's definitely up there," Guerin said yesterday. "This is big, because both teams are real good. Both teams have young superstars who are going to be playing against each other for a long time, and the recent playoff history and stuff like that.

"I know it's been a rivalry for a long time, but it's going to be a real good one for a long time."

Mike Rupp is in his first season with the Penguins, but also experienced the Devils-Rangers rivalry and believes this one is every bit as intense.

"It's right there," he said. "You could kind of feel the energy, leading up to the [Penguins' 6-1 home-ice victory Tuesday]. You could tell that it's taken a little bit differently [than other games].""