An almost-daily look back at how the Philadelphia Flyers have fared on this day, recalling some of the more memorable moments, achievements, and events that shaped the organization throughout the club’s storied history
The Flyers have put together an impressive 13-6-0-0 record in 19 all-time games played on November 4. Philadelphia has scored 84 goals (4.42 goals-per-game average), while they have allowed just 46 (2.42 goals-against average). The Flyers’ offense has not been shutout in any of the November 4 outings, while they have blanked their opposition twice (Pittsburgh Penguins in 1973, Buffalo Sabres in 2000).
Some of the more memorable November 4 moments in franchise history:
1967 — Leon Rochefort posted the first hat trick in franchise history and Bernie Parent turned aside 33 of 34 shots to pick up his first win in Orange-and-Black as the expansion Flyers won their first-ever meeting with the Montreal Canadiens by a 4-1 score at the hallowed Forum in Montreal.
Rochefort got Philly on the board first early in the opening stanza, and Garry Peters doubled the Flyers lead with less than two minutes left in the period.
Gilles Tremblay managed the only marker of the middle session to cut the lead to 2-1 heading into the third period, where Rochefort sealed the deal with a pair of goals within the span of 3:13.
The Habs badly outplayed the visitors — outshooting the Philadelphia by a 26-10 margin over the first two periods, and 34-19 for the contest — but Parent would not yield as he kept the Canadiens at bay throughout to record his first win as a Flyer in just his second start of the season.
Rogie Vachon made 14 saves to take the loss for Montreal.
1972 — Rick MacLeish scored twice in the third period, rookies Bill Barber and Tom Bladon recorded their first NHL goals, and Bobby Taylor stopped 27 of 30 shots to lead the Flyers to a 5-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at the Spectrum.
Barber, playing in just his third NHL game, also added three assists to the winning effort, while fellow freshman Don Saleski also lit the lamp fo Philadelphia with his third goal of the year.
1973 — Bobby Clarke and Ross Lonsberry scored two goals apiece and Bernie Parent stopped all 28 shots he faced to record his 15th shutout with the Flyers in a 7-0 domination of the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Spectrum.
Bill Barber, Orest Kindrachuk, and Simon Nolet also lit the lamp for the Orange-and-Black, while Barber and Bill Flett each added a pair of helpers to the winning cause.
1978 — Mel Bridgman and Reggie Leach each scored a pair of goals and Wayne Stephenson made 24 saves to lead the Flyers to a 7-3 drubbing of the Boston Bruins at Boston Garden.
Goals from Bridgman, Paul Holmgren, Paul Evans (first of his career), Rick MacLeish (shorthanded), and Leach on just 10 shots gave the visitors a 5-0 lead at the first intermission, chasing Bruins’ starter Gilles Gilbert. Jim Pettie came on in relief and made 17 saves on 19 shots the rest of the way, yielding markers to Bridgman in the second and Leach in the third.
Bobby Clarke finished the game with a trio of assists, while Bill Barber added a pair of helpers.
The win gave Philadelphia a 3-1-1 record in its last five trips to the Garden, which had been a house of horrors for the Flyers with an 0-18-4 record in 22 visits prior to the recent run of good fortune.
1979 — Kenny Linseman’s late second period power play marker snapped a 1-1 deadlock and Pete Peeters stopped 40 of 41 shots as the Flyers defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-1 at the Spectrum.
Bill Barber opened the scoring 7:24 into the opening stanza, before Danny Gare knotted the score 5:30 later.
Paul Holmgren gave Peeters some breathing room with 1:02 remaining in the middle frame — and less than four and a half minutes after Linseman’s go-ahead tally — to close out the scoring.
The triumph gave the Flyers a 17-1-5 all-time record against the Sabres at the Spectrum.
It was also Philly’s fifth consecutive win overall for the year, and ninth straight game without a loss (8-0-1) since a 9-2 drubbing at the hands of the Flames in Atlanta in the second game of the regular season.
1986 — Tim Kerr’s pair of second period power play goals snapped a 1-1 tie and Ron Hextall stopped 28 of 29 shots to help the Flyers blast the New Jersey Devils 7-1 at the Spectrum.
It was all Philadelphia after defenseman Uli Heimer gave the Devils a 1-0 lead with a man advantage tally midway through the opening period. Mark Howe knotted the game when he beat New Jersey starter Alain Chevrier with a shorthanded marker with 2:32 left in the stanza, before Kerr staked the home squad to a two-goal lead at the second intermission.
Third period goals from Derrick Smith, Peter Zezel, Pelle Eklund, and Ron Sutter blew the game wide open for Philly. Eklund,
Brian Propp, Howe, and Scott Mellanby each added a pair of assists apiece.
1988 — Former-Detroit prospect Murray Craven’s goal with 13 seconds remaining in regulation helped overcome a Steve Yzerman hat trick and lifted the Flyers over the Red Wings 4-3 at Joe Louis Arena.
Brian Propp’s power play marker early in the third period gave the visitors a 3-1 lead, but Yzerman came back with a pair — including the tying goal with just 0:46 left in regulation — to complete the hat trick and set the stage for Craven’s last-second heroics.
Scott Mellanby and defender Terry Carkner also scored for Philadelphia, who received a spectacular goaltending performance from Mark Laforest. “Trees” made 31 saves to pick up his initial victory of the season, besting Wings goalkeeper Greg Stefan, who made just 12 saves on 16 Flyer shots to taste bitter defeat.
1989 — Tim Kerr scored twice and Rick Tocchet added a goal and three points as the Flyers topped the Toronto Maple Leafs 7-3 at Maple Leaf Gardens.
Keith Acton, Ron Sutter, Brian Propp, and Tony Horacek (first NHL goal) also hit the back of the net for Philadelphia, while Mark Howe and Murray Craven each contributed a pair of helpers to the winning effort.
1990 — Scott Mellanby scored two goals and Tim Kerr added three assists as the Flyers blew away the Toronto Maple Leafs for a second successive year at Maple Leaf Gardens, this time by a 7-1 count.
Pelle Eklund, Murray Craven, Keith Acton, Rick Tocchet, and Mike Ricci also beat former-Philly goaltending coach Jeff Reese, who finished the contest with 29 saves on 36 shots.
1993 — Dave Tippett’s shorthanded goal late in the second period proved to be the game-winner and Dominic Roussel turned away 27 of 28 shots to lead the Flyers to a 4-1 victory over the Quebec Nordiques at the Spectrum.
Eric Lindros opened the scoring in the first and after Tippett made it a two-goal lead heading into the third period, Valery Kamensky spoiled Roussel’s bid for a shutout and made it a one-goal game early in the final frame.
Mikael Renberg beat Stephane Fiset for a power play marker to restore the two-goal lead with less than five minutes left, and Mark Recchi sealed the win with a shorthanded marker into an empty net with Fiset pulled for an extra Quebec attacker.
2000 — Ruslan Fedotenko scored the game-winner with his first NHL goal early in the second period, and Roman Cechmanek stopped all 18 shots he faced to record his first career shutout as the Flyers blanked the Buffalo Sabres 3-0 at the First Union Center.
Dan McGillis and Keith Primeau also beat Dominik Hasek, while Fedotenko added an assist on the McGillis marker to also record his first-ever multi-point outing.
2010 — Blair Betts and Nikolay Zherdev scored goals against their former-NYR teammates, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 20 saves to lead the Flyers to a 4-1 triumph over the New York Rangers at the Wells Fargo Center.
Mike Richards and Chris Pronger each added power play tallies, and Claude Giroux had a pair of helpers.
2014 — Jakub Voracek scored a pair of first period goals and Steve Mason turned away 35 of 36 shots to lead the Flyers to a convincing 4-1 triumph over the Edmonton Oilers at the Wells Fargo Center.
Pierre Eduoard Bellemare and Luke Schenn added goals in the middle frame, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins put the lone blemish on Mason’s night midway through regulation.
By virtue of the goals, Voracek extended his point scoring streak to six games, during which time he had amassed three goals and eight assists for 11 points. Jake had managed a point in 11 of the 12 Flyers’ contests for the campaign up to this point, with the only one he came up empty being a 4-0 shutout loss to the Blackhawks in Chicago on October 21.
