Throughout NHL playoff history, there have been some high-scoring affairs on the ice.
Wednesday’s Game 1 matchup between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers in the second round became tied for the fifth-highest scoring game in NHL playoff history. The Flames won 9-6, with Matthew Tkachuk’s hat-trick leading the way.
Which other games have seen similar scoring outbursts? Here are the highest-scoring games in NHL playoff history:
1. Los Angeles Kings at Edmonton Oilers - 18
Los Angeles beat Edmonton 10-8 in Game 1 of the division semifinals on April 7, 1982 to secure the top spot on this list.
2. Philadelphia Flyers at Pittsburgh Penguins - 17
Pittsburgh defeated Philadelphia 10-7 in Game 5 of the division finals on April 25, 1989.
T-3. Los Angeles Kings at Edmonton Oilers - 16
History often repeats itself. This time, however, Edmonton was on the victorious side. The Oilers thrashed Los Angeles 13-3 in Game 2 of the division semifinals on April 8, 1987.
T-3. Calgary Flames at Los Angeles Kings - 16
The same now applies for Los Angeles. The Kings drubbed the Flames 12-4 in Game 4 of the division semifinals on April 10, 1990.
T-5. Chicago Blackhawks at Montreal Canadiens - 15
The Blackhawks scraped by the Oilers 8-7 in Game 5 of the 1973 Stanley Cup Final.
T-5. Minnesota North Stars at Boston Bruins - 15
The North Stars beat the Bruins 9-6 in the preliminary round of the 1981 NHL Playoffs.
T-5. Chicago Blackhawks at Edmonton Oilers - 15
Edmonton secured a 10-5 win over Chicago in Game 5 of the conference finals in 1985.
T-5. Calgary Flames at Los Angeles Kings - 15
Los Angeles defeated Calgary 9-6 in Game 6 of the conference finals in 1993.
T-5. Edmonton Oilers at Calgary Flames - 15
As aforementioned, Edmonton’s and Calgary’s Game 1 contest in the second round of the 2022 playoffs became the newest addition to this list. Calgary won 9-6.
Four games in NHL playoff history had 14 combined goals: Blackhawks at Bruins (1974), Detroit Red Wings at Blackhawks (1985), Oilers at Blackhawks (1985) and Washington Capitals at New Jersey Devils (1988).
Here are the highest-scoring games in NHL playoff history:
Los Angeles Kings at Edmonton Oilers - 18. Los Angeles beat Edmonton 10-8 in Game 1 of the division semifinals on April 7, 1982 to secure the top spot on this list.
The Montreal Canadiens, the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs are tied for the best record in a single NHL playoff run, with a record of 8-0-0.
The Montreal Canadiens have the highest goal differential by a team in a playoff game, with a differential of 11 goals in Game 5 of the 1944 playoff series against the Maple Leafs.
The highest scoring NHL game was between the Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks on December 11,1985 with the Oilers winning 12 - 9. It would be 37 goals scored in a 1994 match between New Zealand and American Samoa. A whopping 36 of those goals were scored by New Zealand, with Samoa managing just 1.
No one has ever gone 16–0 in the playoffs. There have been a few 8–0 back when the cup was decided in 2 rounds. Also a 12–1 when they moved to three rounds. The best team in recent history is the kings in 11–12 going 16–4 and the record for best playoffs is 16–2 by the 87–88 oilers.
The 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens are considered the best team in modern NHL history. They played 80 games that season and only lost eight of them while outscoring opponents 387-171. Montreal scored more goals than any other team in the league while giving up fewer tallies than any other club.
We have to go back 87 years for the longest game in NHL history, which mercifully ended when Detroit's Mud Bruneteau scored at 16:30 of the sixth overtime.
The game: The Penguins scored two minutes in and never stopped, posting the most lopsided blowout in Stanley Cup Final history. The rest of the way: The North Stars got beat so bad that a week later, they were taken apart in a dispersal draft. (No, really, that happened.
The regular-season Montreal Canadiens' momentum did not stop as they played eight games, the minimum number to win the Stanley Cup. Montreal, in the process, became the last Cup winners in NHL history to go perfect in the playoffs to date.
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