4 – The number of consecutive multi-goal games Sean Couturier would have if he scored two or more goals tonight.
At the moment, Couturier has three straight multi-goal games, something that has been completed just twice since 1987-1988 (the season Hockey-Reference’s single-game stat lines date back to).
Tim Kerr scored two goals in three straight games during the 1989 Eastern Conference Semifinals. Kerr ran over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the teams’ second-round matchup, as he compiled 10 goals and five helpers in the seven-game series. Following a goal in Game 1 and a hat trick in Game 2, Kerr posted two goals in each of Games 4 through 6. He had a pair of power-play goals in Game 4’s 4-1 win, two goals in the final ten minutes of a 10-7 loss in Game 5, and the first two goals of a 6-2 victory in Game 6.
Wayne Simmonds was the most recent Flyer to accomplish this feat back in 2013-14. Just as the Flyers were turning their season around, Dr. Train posted three straight two-goal games in late December of 2013. Simmonds scored twice in a 6-3 loss in Columbus on December 21st, a power-play goal and an empty-netter at home against the Wild two days later, and two power-play goals in 8:36 on the road against the Oilers on December 28th.
3 straight multi-goal games since 1987-88
| Player | Dates | Goals during streak | Total goals in season (regular season and playoffs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Kerr | 4/23/89 to 4/27/89 | 6 | 62 |
| Wayne Simmonds | 12/21/13 to 12/28/13 | 6 | 33 |
| Sean Couturier | 1/6/18 to present | 6 | TBD |
Somehow, John LeClair and Eric Lindros didn’t pull this off back in the day. LeClair had back-to-back multi-goal games three times and posted three multi-goal games in a four-game span twice in his career. He never strung together three straight multi-goal performances (let alone four) despite producing 64 multi-goal contests (regular season or postseason) with Philadelphia. Lindros isn’t far behind with 50 multi-goal games and had three back-to-back multi-goal performances, but never reached three in a row.
Most multi-goal games since start of 1987-88
| Player | Multi-goal games |
|---|---|
| John LeClair | 64 |
| Eric Lindros | 50 |
| Simon Gagne | 37 |
| Mark Recchi | 36 |
| Rod Brind’Amour | 34 |
| Jeff Carter | 33 |
| Rick Tocchet | 33 |
| Wayne Simmonds | 29 |
| Daniel Briere | 27 |
| Claude Giroux | 23 |
| Tim Kerr | 23 |
| Scott Hartnell | 22 |
| Kevin Dineen | 21 |
| Mike Richards | 19 |
| Mikael Renberg | 17 |
| Mike Knuble | 15 |
| Keith Primeau | 14 |
| Jakub Voracek | 14 |
| Brayden Schenn | 12 |
| Murray Craven | 12 |
| R.J. Umberger | 11 |
| Pelle Eklund | 11 |
| Brian Propp | 11 |
| Sean Couturier | 10 |
Considering he is third all-time with 37 multi-goal games for the Flyers and had seven in a 22-game stretch to start the 2005-06 campaign, the fact Simon Gagne never posted multi-goal games in three or four straight is rather surprising.
NOTE: An earlier version of this article used Hockey-Reference under the assumption stat lines for every Flyers’ game ever played was available on the website. They have game logs dating back to 1987-88. This article has been updated since this revelation.
