The Philadelphia Flyers’ win over the Arizona Coyotes last night was a pretty entertaining game. Down 4-2 heading into the third period, the Orange and Black fought their way back to force overtime, where Jakub Voracek willed a game-winning assist to Shayne Gostisbehere. What made it a true #Flyera game, though, was the fact the Flyers were down thanks to a pair of shorthanded goals from the Coyotes…on the same penalty kill. Allowing two shorthanded goals in the same game is uncommon, but two on the same power play is pretty rare. Which leads us to our 2 o’clock number…
Three – The number of times, including last night, where the Flyers have allowed a pair of shorthanded goals against on the same power play. As Bill Meltzer tweeted out earlier today, it was the first time the Flyers won a game where they allowed two shorthanded goals against on the power play.
The most recent time it happened before last night was back on February 18, 2012 in a 6-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Shortly after Pascal Dupuis was sent to the box for tripping, Jordan Staal beat Ilya Bryzgalov to tie the game at two late in the second period. Although Brooks Orpik made it a 5-on-3 advantage for Philly 17 seconds after Staal’s tally, Matt Fucking Cooke scored while the Pens were down two men in the final seconds of Dupuis’ minor.
The first time a team scored two shorthanded goals on the Flyers was back on January 30, 1969, when the Chicago Blackhawks beat Philadelphia 12-0. Stan Mikita and Chico Maki scored 1:01 apart while Dennis Hull sat in the box for holding in the opening minutes of the game. The loss was the first of six times (four in the regular season, two in the postseason) the Flyers have allowed 10 goals against or more in a single game, while the 12-0 final score is the most goals the Flyers have allowed in a single game and their biggest margin of defeat.
Last night was the 20th time the Flyers have allowed two shorthanded goals against in the same game. Here are the other times:
Times allowing 2 shorthanded goals
| Date | Opponent | Goal Scorers | Same Penalty Kill? | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 8, 2018 | Arizona Coyotes | Derek Stepan and Michael Grabner | Yes | 5-4 Win (OT) |
| November 27, 2016 | Calgary Flames | T.J. Brodie and Alex Chiasson | No | 5-3 Win |
| February 18, 2012 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Jordan Staal and Matt Cooke | Yes | 6-4 Loss |
| November 14, 2011 | Carolina Hurricanes | Patrick Dwyer | No | 5-3 Win |
| December 15, 2009 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Jordan Staal and Evgeni Malkin | No | 6-1 Loss |
| December 8, 2005 | Edmonton Oilers | Ethan Moreau (2) | No | 3-2 Loss |
| October 14, 2000 | Phoenix Coyotes | Mike Sullivan and Juha Ylonen | No | 6-3 Loss |
| October 5, 2000 | Vancouver Canucks | Matt Cooke and Peter Schaefer | No | 6-3 Win |
| October 26, 1999 | Vancouver Canucks | Darby Hendrickson and Peter Schaefer | No | 5-2 Loss |
| February 13, 1995 | Washington Capitals | Peter Bondra and Steve Konowalchuk | No | 5-3 Win |
| February 11, 1994 | Detroit Red Wings | Sergei Fedorov, Slava Kozlov, Steve Yzerman | No | 6-3 Loss |
| October 13, 1992 | Quebec Nordiques | Alexei Gusarov and Mats Sundin | No | 6-3 Loss |
| February 15, 1992 | Edmonton Oilers | Vincent Damphousse and Joe Murphy | No | 8-5 Win |
| January 21, 1992 | Detroit Red Wings | Paul Ysebaert and Steve Yzerman | No | 7-3 Loss |
| March 3, 1990 | Edmonton Oilers | Mark Messier (2) | No | 5-3 Loss |
| November 22, 1988 | Los Angeles Kings | Steve Duchesne and Bernie Nicholls | No | 6-1 Loss |
| February 7, 1987 | New Jersey Devils | Kirk Muller and Andy Brickley | No | 3-2 Loss |
| March 25, 1978 | Minnesota North Stars | Per-Olov Brasar and Jerome Engele | No | 4-3 Win |
| March 24, 1971 | Montreal Canadiens | Frank Mahovlich and Leon Rochefort | No | 5-3 Loss |
| February 7, 1971 | St. Louis Blues | Terry Crisp and Christian Bordeleau | No | 6-2 Loss |
| January 30, 1969 | Chicago Blackhawks | Stan Mikita and Chico Maki | Yes | 12-0 Loss |
One of the most noteworthy games from the table above is the Flyers’ 6-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on February 11, 1994. Markers from Sergei Fedorov, Slava Kozlov, and Steve Yzerman made it the first and only time in franchise history Philly allowed three shorthanded goals against in the same game. Across the entire NHL, three or more shorthanded goals by one team in a single game has happened 58 times.
The Vancouver Canucks nearly made this 2 o’clock number four on two different occasions. Nearly a year to the day after Darby Hendrickson and Peter Schaefer scored shorthanded goals 3:08 apart on two different penalty kills in a 5-2 Flyers’ loss on October 26, 1999, Cooke and Schaefer (what do these two have against the Flyers?) scored 2:48 apart on different penalty kills in a 6-3 Flyers’ win to open the 2000-01 season.
Patrick Dwyer, Ethan Moreau, and Mark Messier are the only players to ever score two shorthanded goals in the same game against the Flyers.
*Stats via Hockey-Reference, Flyers History, and NHL.com
