And finally,
THE TOP 10 (well really 11) SINGLE GAME PLAYOFF PERFORMANCES IN FLYERS HISTORY!
The reason there is 11 is because I just couldn’t leave either of the last 2 off of the list and hell, it’s my damn list! Besides the obvious criteria of the players actual performance, some credence was given to the importance of the game and how deep into the playoff run it occurred.
And away we go!
10a. Ron Hextall vs NYR, game 6, 1987 first round
Hextall was brilliant in this game and it gave us all the added bonus of watching Phil Esposito shut his fat mouth. Winning it in the stinking cesspool that is MSG, where one of the mouth breathing lowlifes had the sickening audacity to hold up a sign that read “Buy a Porsche, Hextall” made it all the much sweeter. Hextall was flawless this night as he stopped all 34 shots and shut the traps of all of the doubters.
10b. Bernie Parent vs BOS, game 6, 1974 SCF
The biggest win in Flyers history came primarily on the back of the greatest goaltender in Flyers history. Bernie was unbeatable that afternoon stopping all 30 Bruins shots, including 16 in a first period in which the Flyers were badly outplayed. The most memorable save though came about 2/3 through the 3rd period when Bernie flat out robbed Ken Hodge. I will never forget this day. They truly have walked together forever.
9. Michal Neuvirth vs WAS, game 5, 2016 1st round
Neuvirth, as much as any Flyer ever, singlehandedly won this game for the badly outmanned and outgunned Flyers. In a game in which the Flyers were outshot, and this is not a misprint, 44-11, Neuvirth was absolutely flawless and spectacular, and he was the sole reason that the Flyers escaped with a 2-0 victory.
8. Ken Wregget vs PIT, game 7, 1989 Division final
What really makes this amazing is that other than 28 minutes of mop up duty earlier in the series, Wregget had not played a game since late in the regular season. But with starter Ron Hextall out with an injury, all Wregget did was come in cold and shut down Mario Lemieux (who had been owning the series) and the rest of the Pens stopping 39 of 40 shots. It was the game of Wregget’s life.
7. Claude Giroux vs PIT, game 2, 2012 first round
Yeah it was crazy and wide open, but holy crap, 3 goals and 6 points are 3 goals and 6 points! Giroux picked up an assist on the only Flyers goal in the first period as the Pens got the better of the play and went into the break up 3-1. But then came the Claude Giroux show. G scored twice in the 2nd period and then went on to put up another goal and 2 assists in the 3rd as the Flyers outscored the Pens 7-2 over the final 40 minutes and took a huge 2-0 series lead.
6. Bernie Parent vs STL, game 6, 1968 quarter final
Although Bernie’s best seasons would come a few years later in the mid 70s, this was perhaps his greatest game. The undersized but scrappy Flyers went into this game trailing 3-2 in the series to the much more physical and much more experienced Blues. Parent was the difference though stopping 63 of 64 St. Louis shots and getting the team into the 2nd overtime period where winger Don Blackburn would score and send the series back to Philly for game 7. While I was only 2 at the time and have no memory of the game, more than one older fan has told me that it was the greatest goaltending performance that they ever saw.
5. Bobby Clarke vs BOS, game 2, 1974 SCF
To me, this game, along with game 7 that same spring vs the Rags are right up there with the 2 Cup clinching victories for most important wins in Flyers history. While the Flyers certainly went into this series with confidence after dispatching the Rangers, the Bruins were a different animal. First off, they had Bobby Orr who was far and away the best player in the world at that time and the Flyers also hadn’t won a game in Boston since their inaugural season of 1967-68. But the Bruins had home ice, and if the Cup was going to come to Philly, the Flyers needed to win a game in southie hell. After losing a close one in game one, the Flyers knew that winning game 2 was vital as going down 2-0 in this series simply was not an option. So Bobby Clarke did what he needed to do. First with the Flyers trailing 2-0 early in the 2nd, he cut the lead in half with a goal from “Cowboy” Bill Flett and Dave “The Hammer” Schultz. Then with the clock running out and the Flyers still down a goal in the 3rd, he assisted on Andre “Moose” Dupont’s game tying tally with 52 seconds left on the clock. Finally, Clarke scored an epic overtime goal that set the stage for the Flyers to go on and win their first Stanley Cup.
4. Brian Boucher vs PIT, game 4, 2000 2nd round
Five overtimes, 152 minutes, Lemieux and Jagr, 58 shots against, 57 saves and a perfect 39 for 39 in OT. Oh, and did I mention that Boosh was a friggin rookie?? Those of us who watched that game know how special his performance was. I have never seen anything like it and I may well never see anything like it again. It was both spectacular and surreal. There is nothing else that needs to be said.
3. Bill Barber vs MIN, game 3, 1980 semifinal
Bill Barber had perhaps his best game as a Flyer on this night in Minnesota as his 4 goal performance led the team to victory and to a 2-1 lead in the series. After 2 periods, Barber already had a hatty with 2 ES goal along with a pp tally. However the North Stars scored back to back goals in the 2nd period cutting the Flyers lead to 4-3 going into the 3rd period and the Minneapolis crowd was rocking. With only 4:30 left in the game, Ken Linseman took an interference penalty and the crowd smelled blood. Too bad the blood was North Star green as Barber shut the building up by scoring his 4th of the night shorthanded to put the game away. Even more amazing was that Barber went on to score 2 more goals in game 4 and then in the final game, he put up another 2 goals and an assist. All in all Barber finished the series by putting up 9 goals and 12 points over the final 4 games of the series, all Philly victories, but none stand out like game 3.
2. Tim Kerr vs NYR, game 3, 1985 first round
The Flyers went into the postseason in 1985 on a nine game playoff losing streak and had not won a round since the 1981 prelim vs QUE. The tight as a drum, and oh so young Flyers squeaked out an OT victory in game one with Mark Howe getting the game winner and then went on to play a much more complete game in winning game 2 by a 3-1 score. However, the monkey would still be firmly on their backs until they could win the series and that brings us to game 3 in New York City. The Rags got the first 2 goals in the first before a Peter Zezel pp goal sent the club into the intermission only down 1. After a Doug Crossman goal tied the game early in the 2nd, a pp goal by Willie Huber restored the Rangers one goal lead. It was now time for the Tim Kerr show. Kerr had scored a goal in game one, but up until this point, the Rags had done a pretty good job of slowing the big guy down. But not on this day. Kerr scored a natural hat trick plus one as he scored an unbelievable 4 consecutive goals (3pp, 1es) in only 8:16 of actual game time. I believe, and someone please correct me if I’m wrong, that this is the fastest 4 goals ever scored by an NHL player in a playoff game. To this day, I sometimes have to go back and re-watch the game to believe that it actually happened. It was utterly stupendous!
And at number 1…..
1. Reggie Leach vs BOS, game 5, 1976 semi final
To understand just how incredible this performance was, we have to travel back to a few hours earlier that day when a couple of Reggie’s teammates came to his house to pick him up for the game. Imagine their shock when they found that (depending on who’s story is accurate) that Leach was either still shitfaced drunk or severely hung over from the night before. When Fred Shero got a look at Leach prior to warm-ups, he was furious and wanted to scratch the Rifle, but Bobby Clarke talked him out of it and assured the coach that his former Flin Flon Bombers teammate could play. Thank God the Fog listened to his captain! Leach would open the scoring in the first and then, with the game tied, he would score a natural hat trick in the second giving the Flyers a 4-1 lead. Finally, after the Bruins Don Marcotte cut the lead to 4-2 early in the 3rd, Leach would score his amazing 5th goal and put the game away. One other note, all five of Leach’s goals were scored at even strength. In fact of the 80 combined regular season and playoff goals that Reggie scored that season an unheard of 68 came at even strength!
And there you have it, the best all time single playoff performances in Flyers playoff history. Boys, this one was a bitch and narrowing this list down was not easy. I hope you enjoyed the read and, as always, your comments are both welcome and appreciated!
