The best single-game performances of the last decade

Chalk it up as a type of odd statistical occurrences. All through the whole thing of the 2018-19 marketing campaign, solely 4 gamers had four-goal video games, and it wasn’t till the ultimate weeks of the marketing campaign that John Tavares’ four-goal outing made him the fourth participant to take action. However via the primary two weeks of the 2019-20 season, there have been a variety of gamers who couldn’t miss.
First, it was Anthony Mantha scoring 4 within the Detroit Purple Wings’ second recreation of the season. Then, two days later, all the things James Neal touched flip to gold and he King Midas’d his technique to a four-goal outing in his third recreation as a member of the Edmonton Oilers. To not be outdone, lower than one week later, Boston Bruins sharpshooter David Pastrnak blasted residence 4 towards the Anaheim Geese. And although it took some time – one other month, for those who consider it – earlier than there was a fourth participant with four-goal contest, there has certainly been one other. Jack Eichel put up a four-spot towards in a Buffalo Sabres victory in mid-November.
As particular as these video games had been, although, not a single one was particular sufficient to land on the checklist of the best single-game performances of the last decade. This checklist is reserved for less than the most effective of the most effective, the kind of one-off outings we nonetheless speak about to today, the type which are seared into the minds of those that witnessed it reside. And these are these 10 performances:
10. Craig Anderson – Colorado Avalanche vs. San Jose Sharks, April 18, 2010The Avalanche had no enterprise successful Sport Three of their first-round post-season sequence towards the Sharks. None by any means. San Jose outshot Colorado 51-17 throughout the practically 61 minutes that had been performed earlier than an errant backhand cross by Dan Boyle ricocheted off Ryan O’Reilly’s stick and previous Sharks netminder Evgeni Nabokov. However O’Reilly’s winner was solely attainable as a result of Anderson stopped each single shot he confronted, resulting in the lasting picture of the then-Avalanche netminder’s toothy grin because the Colorado crowd went berserk. The 51 saves are probably the most in a post-season shutout this decade.
9. Duncan Keith – Chicago Blackhawks vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, June 15, 2015Keith’s efficiency in Sport 6 of the 2015 Stanley Cup closing was the exclamation level on his Conn Smythe Trophy-winning efficiency. After what had been a superb post-season, Keith went out within the eventual Stanley Cup-clinching contest and skated greater than 30 minutes. His largest affect on the affair, nonetheless, was his late-second interval aim that noticed him break into the zone, obtain a cross from Patrick Kane, shoot and subsequently comply with up on the rebound to bury the sport – and Stanley Cup-winning – aim.
Eight. Johan Franzen – Detroit Purple Wings vs. Ottawa Senators, Feb. 2, 2012Solely two gamers have had a five-goal recreation over the previous decade – the opposite participant seems on this checklist, too – and Franzen’s goal-column stuffer was a type of outings the place the puck simply stored discovering him in the best spot. By the point the evening was over, with Franzen firing 10 pictures on aim, he had netted two within the first and a trio within the third. Each aim mattered, too, in what was a 7-5 victory for the Purple Wings.
7. David Pastrnak – Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, April 14, 2018Solely three gamers have scored six factors in a post-season recreation up to now decade and none as just lately as Pastrnak, who completely tortured the Maple Leafs in Sport 2 of the 2018 first-round sequence. It was clear he was going to have that form of evening early, too. By the point the primary body was via, ‘Pasta’ had a aim and two main assists and he added a 3rd helper within the second. He sealed the cope with two objectives within the again half of the third in Boston’s 7-Three win. The Bruins received the sequence in seven video games.
6. Claude Giroux – Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, April 13, 2012What units Giroux’s six-point recreation other than Pastrnak’s? That Giroux put factors on the board each which method. Within the first interval, he picked up a shorthanded help. Within the second, he scored on the ability play and on the penalty kill. Within the third, he added an empty-net aim, and he did all this whereas powering the Flyers to an important Sport 2 victory that gave Philadelphia management of the first-round sequence towards the rival Penguins.
5. Patrik Laine – Winnipeg Jets vs. St. Louis Blues, Nov. 24, 2018Laine’s calling card since he stepped onto the NHL scene has been his deadly shot and pinpoint accuracy. By no means has that been on show fairly like his outing towards the Blues early final season. In a recreation the Jets received Eight-Four, Laine merely couldn’t miss. He scored as soon as within the first, 3 times within the second and netted his fifth within the third, and he produced his five-goal recreation on 5 pictures.
Four. Johan Franzen – Detroit Purple Wings vs. San Jose Sharks, Might 6, 2010Spectacular as the opposite six-point outings on this checklist could also be, not a single one holds a candle to Franzen’s four-goal, six-point effort within the second spherical of the post-season towards the Sharks. With the Purple Wings needing a win to maintain their playoff hopes alive, Franzen registered a pure hat trick within the first interval – in underneath 4 minutes, no much less – and had factors on all however one in all Detroit’s objectives of their 7-1 thrashing of the Sharks. Franzen’s effort was all for naught, nonetheless. The Purple Wings had been eradicated in Sport 5.
Three. Martin Jones – San Jose Sharks vs. Vegas Golden Knights, April 21, 2019In Sport 6 of the opening spherical of the 2019 post-season, Jones wanted to come back up enormous. Come up enormous he did. With the Sharks’ season on the road, Jones stopped 58 pictures and helped San Jose hold round lengthy sufficient that Tomas Hertl was capable of internet the double-overtime winner to ship the sequence to a seventh recreation. Jones’ efficiency, which noticed him make the third-most saves in a victory over the previous 10 years, set the stage for the Sharks’ Sport 7 victory in one of the iconic video games of the last decade.
2. Ben Scrivens – Edmonton Oilers vs. San Jose Sharks, Jan. 29, 2014It was in mid-January 2014 that Scrivens was dealt to the Oilers, however nobody might have predicted what would occur two weeks into his stick with the group. On the evening in query, the high-powered Sharks offense threw all the things at Scrivens, however the just lately acquired netminder stopped each single one of many 59 pictures that got here his method. The 59-save shutout made for probably the most saves in a blanking by any netminder up to now 10 years. Not solely that, it set the report for many saves in a daily season shutout in NHL historical past.
1. Sam Gagner – Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks, Feb. 2, 2012A no brainer to complete atop the checklist because it was the primary and solely eight-point recreation the NHL has seen because the 1988-89 season. Gagner was in all places that evening and had some extent on each single aim within the Oilers’ Eight-Four rout of the Blackhawks. What could be forgotten about that outing is that Edmonton really trailed Chicago 2-Zero earlier than Gagner got here to life. He picked up a aim and two main assists in 10 minutes within the second body to offer the Oilers the lead after which the puck caught to him as he scored three objectives within the third and added one other 5 factors. Enjoyable reality: all however one in all Gagner’s factors had been main factors.
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Tags: listsConnect: In regards to the AuthorJared ClintonJared Clinton is a author and internet editor with The Hockey Information. He is been with the group since 2014. He was born, raised and resides in Winnipeg, the place he might be discovered lacking the web on out of doors rinks throughout city.