List of players with five or more goals in an NHL game
This is a list of players who have scored five or more goals in a National Hockey League (NHL) game. Scoring five or more goals in a single game is considered a great feat, as it has only been accomplished 62 times, by 46 players, in the history of the league.[1] The first player to do so was Joe Malone, with the Montreal Canadiens, in the first ever NHL game, on December 19, 1917. The most recent player to do so was Mika Zibanejad, with the New York Rangers, in the 102nd NHL season of play, on March 5th, 2020.
In addition to being first, Joe Malone holds the overall record with five different five-or-more goal games, including the NHL record seven goals in a game, as well as a six-goal game and three five-goal games – all in the first three seasons of the NHL’s existence. He is also the only player to record a five-goal game with more than one team, accomplishing his first three with the Montreal Canadiens and his last two with the Quebec Bulldogs.
Overall, seven different players have scored six goals in a game—including brothers Corb and Cy Denneny, with different teams, within a few weeks of each other in 1921. A total of 41 individual players have scored exactly five goals in a game, on one or more occasions. While five-goal games continue to occur from time to time, no player has scored six or more goals since Darryl Sittler scored six in February 1976.[2]
Only eight players have multiple five-goal games. Next to Malone achieving the mark five different times, both Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux attained the feat four times, Newsy Lalonde did it three times, while four other players have had two five-goal games. Of the eight players with multiple five-goal games, only two have achieved the multiple in a single season: Malone (3 times in 1917–18, twice in 1919–20) and Sittler (twice in 1975–76). Gretzky (early and late 1981) and Maurice Richard (early and late 1944) had two five-goal games in the same calendar year, across two NHL seasons.
Ian Turnbull is the only defenseman who has scored five goals in a game, doing so in February 1977. Mario Lemieux is the only player in history to achieve a five-goal game by scoring in five different ways – in December 1988, he scored an even-strength goal, a power-play goal, a short-handed goal, a penalty shot goal and an empty net goal.[3] Wayne Gretzky’s second five-goal game, in December 1981, also marked his achievement of the NHL’s fastest ever 50 goals in 50 games, when he scored five goals in his 39th game of the season.
Of the 62 different five-goal games, five instances were achieved in a playoff game.[4]
The Montreal Canadiens have had the highest number of players, 9, and the highest number of occurrences, 14, of a five-goal game. The Toronto St. Patricks/Toronto Maple Leafs are second in both categories, with 7 different players scoring a five-goal game, on 9 different occasions.
Scorers
- Legend
Name | Team | Date | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Montreal Canadiens | December 19, 1917 | 5 | |
Montreal Wanderers | December 19, 1917 | 5 | |
Montreal Canadiens | January 12, 1918 | 5 | |
Montreal Canadiens | February 2, 1918 | 5 | |
Montreal Canadiens | March 1, 1919 | 5 | |
Montreal Canadiens | January 10, 1920 | 6 | |
Quebec Bulldogs | January 31, 1920 | 7 | |
Toronto St. Pats | March 6, 1920 | 5 | |
Quebec Bulldogs | March 10, 1920 | 6 | |
Toronto St. Pats | January 26, 1921 | 6 | |
Montreal Canadiens | February 16, 1921 | 5 | |
Ottawa Senators | March 7, 1921 | 6 | |
Toronto St. Pats | December 16, 1922 | 5 | |
Hamilton Tigers | December 5, 1924 | 5 | |
Toronto St. Pats | December 22, 1924 | 5 | |
Montreal Maroons | January 7, 1925 | 5 | |
Montreal Canadiens | December 14, 1929 | 5 | |
Montreal Canadiens | March 18, 1930 | 5 | |
Toronto Maple Leafs | January 19, 1932 | 5 | |
Montreal Canadiens | February 6, 1943 | 5 | |
Detroit Red Wings | February 3, 1944 | 6 | |
Montreal Canadiens | March 23, 1944 | 5 | |
Montreal Canadiens | December 28, 1944 | 5 | |
Toronto Maple Leafs | January 8, 1947 | 5 | |
Montreal Canadiens | February 19, 1955 | 5 | |
Montreal Canadiens | February 1, 1964 | 5 | |
St. Louis Blues | November 7, 1968 | 6 | |
Montreal Canadiens | February 15, 1975 | 5 | |
Toronto Maple Leafs | February 7, 1976 | 6 | |
Toronto Maple Leafs | April 22, 1976 | 5 | |
Philadelphia Flyers | May 6, 1976 | 5 | |
New York Rangers | October 12, 1976 | 5 | |
Toronto Maple Leafs | February 2, 1977 | 5 | |
New York Islanders | December 23, 1978 | 5 | |
Minnesota North Stars | January 15, 1979 | 5 | |
New York Islanders | January 6, 1981 | 5 | |
Edmonton Oilers | February 18, 1981 | 5 | |
Edmonton Oilers | December 30, 1981 | 5 | |
Chicago Black Hawks | February 3, 1982 | 5 | |
New York Islanders | February 13, 1982 | 5[6][7] | |
Winnipeg Jets | March 2, 1982 | 5 | |
New York Rangers | February 23, 1983 | 5 | |
Edmonton Oilers | November 19, 1983 | 5 | |
Washington Capitals | January 8, 1984 | 5 | |
Edmonton Oilers | February 3, 1984 | 5 | |
Edmonton Oilers | December 15, 1984 | 5 | |
Buffalo Sabres | February 6, 1986 | 5 | |
Edmonton Oilers | December 6, 1987 | 5 | |
Pittsburgh Penguins | December 31, 1988 | 5 | |
Calgary Flames | January 11, 1989 | 5 | |
Pittsburgh Penguins | April 25, 1989 | 5 | |
Quebec Nordiques | March 5, 1992 | 5 | |
Pittsburgh Penguins | April 9, 1993 | 5 | |
Washington Capitals | February 5, 1994 | 5 | |
Quebec Nordiques | February 17, 1994 | 5 | |
Winnipeg Jets | April 1, 1995 | 5 | |
Pittsburgh Penguins | March 26, 1996 | 5 | |
Detroit Red Wings | December 26, 1996 | 5 | |
Minnesota Wild | December 20, 2007 | 5 | |
Detroit Red Wings | February 2, 2011 | 5 | |
Winnipeg Jets | November 24, 2018 | 5 | |
New York Rangers | March 5, 2020 | 5 |
Players who scored five or more goals in multiple games
Name | Nationality | Total |
---|---|---|
Joe Malone | 5 | |
Wayne Gretzky | 4 | |
Mario Lemieux | 4 | |
Newsy Lalonde | 3 | |
Babe Dye | 2 | |
Maurice Richard | 2 | |
Darryl Sittler | 2 | |
Bryan Trottier | 2 |
References
- General
- Dinger, Ralph (1932). National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book (2004 ed.). Toronto: Dan Diamond. ISBN 0-920445-84-5.
- Specific
- David Amber (2007-12-21). "Gaborik and his five goals have some company". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
- "Wild's Gaborik scores 5 against Rangers". CBC. 2007-12-21. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
- "Lemieux, Mario—Biography". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
- "NHL Playoff Goals". Hockey Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2010-12-03. Retrieved 2008-02-12.
- Joe Sexton (1989-04-27). "Heroics for Lemieux Despite Sore Neck". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-02-12.
- https://www.nytimes.com/1982/02/14/sports/trottier-scores-5-in-rout-of-flyers.html
- http://www.brainyhistory.com/events/1982/february_13_1982_154596.html
- Mike Weimerskirch (2007-12-20). "Gaborik posts NHL's first five-goal game in decade". National Post. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
- Kirkland Crawford (2011-02-02). "Johan Franzen scores five goals in Wings' victory". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2011-02-02.
- https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/patrik-laine-scores-5-goals-lead-jets-past-blues/
- https://www.tsn.ca/laine-stays-hot-with-five-goals-in-jets-win-over-blues-1.1215470