Joe Malone, the first player to score five goals in an NHL game, the only player to score seven goals in a game, and the overall most prolific, scoring at least five goals in five games.
Tage Thompson, the most recent player to score five goals in an NHL game, did it on December 7, 2022.

This is a list of players who have scored five or more goals in a National Hockey League (NHL) game. Scoring five or more goals in a single game is considered a great feat, as it has only been accomplished 63 times, by 47 players, in the history of the league.[1] The first player to do so was Joe Malone, with the Montreal Canadiens, in the first NHL game, on December 19, 1917. The most recent player to do so was Tage Thompson, with the Buffalo Sabres, in the 105th NHL season of play, on December 7, 2022.

In addition to being first, Joe Malone holds the overall record with five five-or-more goal games, including the NHL record seven goals in a game, as well as a six-goal game and three five-goal games – all in the first three seasons of the NHL’s existence. He is also the only player to record a five-goal game with more than one team, accomplishing his first three with the Montreal Canadiens and his last two with the Quebec Bulldogs.

Overall, seven players have scored six goals in a game—including brothers Corb and Cy Denneny, with different teams, within a few weeks of each other in 1921. A total of 41 individual players have scored exactly five goals in a game, on one or more occasion. While five-goal games continue to occur from time to time, no player has scored six or more goals since Darryl Sittler scored six in February 1976.[2]

Only eight players have multiple five-goal games. After Malone achieving the mark five times, both Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux attained the mark four times, Newsy Lalonde did it three times, while four other players have had two five-goal games. Of the eight players with multiple five-goal games, only two have achieved the feat multiple times in a single season: Malone (3 times in 1917–18, twice in 1919–20) and Sittler (twice in 1975–76). Gretzky (early and late 1981) and Maurice Richard (early and late 1944) had two five-goal games in the same calendar year, across two NHL seasons.

Ian Turnbull is the only defenseman who has scored five goals in a game, doing so in February 1977. Mario Lemieux is the only player in history to achieve a five-goal game by scoring in five different ways – on December 31, 1988, he scored an even-strength goal, a power-play goal, a short-handed goal, a penalty shot goal and an empty net goal against the New Jersey Devils.[3] Wayne Gretzky’s second five-goal game, in December 1981, also marked his achievement of the NHL’s fastest 50 goals in 50 games, when he scored five goals in his 39th game of the season.

Of the 63 five-goal games, five were playoff games.[4]

The Montreal Canadiens have had the highest number of players, 9, and the highest number of occurrences, 14, of a five-goal game. The Toronto St. Patricks/Toronto Maple Leafs are second in both categories, with 7 players scoring a five-goal game, on 9 occasions. Five players: Newsy Lalonde in 1919, Maurice Richard in 1944, Darryl Sittler and Reggie Leach in 1976, and Mario Lemieux in 1989 scored 5 goals in playoff games.

Alexey Zhamnov is the only player from this list whose team eventually failed to win — the Los Angeles Kings and the Winnipeg Jets tied 7–7. Sergei Fedorov is the only player to score all 5 of his team's goals in a game that ended in overtime (regular season). Maurice Richard scored all 5 goals when the Canadiens defeated Toronto 5-1 in the 1944 playoffs.

Scorers

Newsy Lalonde, the first player to score six goals in an NHL game, also had two other five-goal games.
Wayne Gretzky, the NHL's all-time leading scorer, had four five-goal games.
Mario Lemieux recorded four five-goal games.
Sergei Fedorov scored all of the Red Wings' goals in a 5-4 overtime win against the Washington Capitals.
Marian Gaborik, after scoring his fifth goal on December 20, 2007 – first in the 21st century
Legend
  Player is still active in the NHL
  Player scored five goals in a playoff game
Name Team Date Goals
Canada Joe Malone Montreal Canadiens December 19, 1917 5
Canada Harry Hyland Montreal Wanderers December 19, 1917 5
Canada Joe Malone Montreal Canadiens January 12, 1918 5
Canada Joe Malone Montreal Canadiens February 2, 1918 5
Canada Newsy Lalonde[4] Montreal Canadiens March 1, 1919 5
Canada Newsy Lalonde Montreal Canadiens January 10, 1920 6
Canada Joe Malone Quebec Bulldogs January 31, 1920 7
Canada Mickey Roach Toronto St. Pats March 6, 1920 5
Canada Joe Malone Quebec Bulldogs March 10, 1920 6
Canada Corb Denneny Toronto St. Pats January 26, 1921 6
Canada Newsy Lalonde Montreal Canadiens February 16, 1921 5
Canada Cy Denneny Ottawa Senators March 7, 1921 6
Canada Babe Dye Toronto St. Pats December 16, 1922 5
Canada Red Green Hamilton Tigers December 5, 1924 5
Canada Babe Dye Toronto St. Pats December 22, 1924 5
Canada Punch Broadbent Montreal Maroons January 7, 1925 5
Canada Pit Lepine Montreal Canadiens December 14, 1929 5
Canada Howie Morenz Montreal Canadiens March 18, 1930 5
Canada Charlie Conacher Toronto Maple Leafs January 19, 1932 5
Canada Ray Getliffe Montreal Canadiens February 6, 1943 5
Canada Syd Howe Detroit Red Wings February 3, 1944 6
Canada Maurice Richard[5] Montreal Canadiens March 23, 1944 5
Canada Maurice Richard Montreal Canadiens December 28, 1944 5
Canada Howie Meeker Toronto Maple Leafs January 8, 1947 5
Canada Bernie Geoffrion Montreal Canadiens February 19, 1955 5
Canada Bobby Rousseau Montreal Canadiens February 1, 1964 5
Canada Red Berenson St. Louis Blues November 7, 1968 6
Canada Yvan Cournoyer Montreal Canadiens February 15, 1975 5
Canada Darryl Sittler Toronto Maple Leafs February 7, 1976 6
Canada Darryl Sittler[5] Toronto Maple Leafs April 22, 1976 5
Canada Reggie Leach[5] Philadelphia Flyers May 6, 1976 5
Canada Don Murdoch New York Rangers October 12, 1976 5
Canada Ian Turnbull (D) Toronto Maple Leafs February 2, 1977 5
Canada Bryan Trottier New York Islanders December 23, 1978 5
Canada Tim Young Minnesota North Stars January 15, 1979 5
Canada John Tonelli New York Islanders January 6, 1981 5
Canada Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers February 18, 1981 5
Canada Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers December 30, 1981 5
Canada Grant Mulvey Chicago Black Hawks February 3, 1982 5
Canada Bryan Trottier New York Islanders February 13, 1982 5[6][7]
Sweden Willy Lindstrom Winnipeg Jets March 2, 1982 5
United States Mark Pavelich New York Rangers February 23, 1983 5
Finland Jari Kurri Edmonton Oilers November 19, 1983 5
Sweden Bengt-Ake Gustafsson Washington Capitals January 8, 1984 5
Canada Pat Hughes Edmonton Oilers February 3, 1984 5
Canada Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers December 15, 1984 5
Canada Dave Andreychuk Buffalo Sabres February 6, 1986 5
Canada Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers December 6, 1987 5
Canada Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh Penguins December 31, 1988 5
Canada Joe Nieuwendyk Calgary Flames January 11, 1989 5
Canada Mario Lemieux[5] Pittsburgh Penguins April 25, 1989 5
Sweden Mats Sundin Quebec Nordiques March 5, 1992 5
Canada Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh Penguins April 9, 1993 5
Slovakia Peter Bondra Washington Capitals February 5, 1994 5
Canada Mike Ricci Quebec Nordiques February 17, 1994 5
Russia Alexei Zhamnov Winnipeg Jets April 1, 1995 5
Canada Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh Penguins March 26, 1996 5
Russia Sergei Fedorov Detroit Red Wings December 26, 1996 5
Slovakia Marian Gaborik[8] Minnesota Wild December 20, 2007 5
Sweden Johan Franzen[9] Detroit Red Wings February 2, 2011 5
Finland Patrik Laine[10][11] Winnipeg Jets November 24, 2018 5
Sweden Mika Zibanejad[12] New York Rangers March 5, 2020 5
Switzerland Timo Meier[13] San Jose Sharks January 17, 2022 5
United States Tage Thompson[14] Buffalo Sabres December 7, 2022 5

Players who scored five or more goals in multiple games

Name Nationality Total
Joe Malone  Canada 5
Wayne Gretzky  Canada 4
Mario Lemieux  Canada 4
Newsy Lalonde  Canada 3
Babe Dye  Canada 2
Maurice Richard  Canada 2
Darryl Sittler  Canada 2
Bryan Trottier  Canada 2

References

General
  • Dinger, Ralph (1932). National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book (2004 ed.). Toronto: Dan Diamond. ISBN 0-920445-84-5.
  • "Players with Most Goals in an NHL Game". QuantHockey. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
Specific
  1. ^ David Amber (December 21, 2007). "Gaborik and his five goals have some company". ESPN. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
  2. ^ "Wild's Gaborik scores 5 against Rangers". CBC. December 21, 2007. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
  3. ^ "Lemieux, Mario—Biography". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
  4. ^ a b "NHL Playoff Goals". Hockey Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on December 3, 2010. Retrieved February 12, 2008.
  5. ^ a b c d Joe Sexton (April 27, 1989). "Heroics for Lemieux Despite Sore Neck". New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2008.
  6. ^ Keese, Parton (14 February 1982). "Trottier Scores 5 in Rout of Flyers". The New York Times.
  7. ^ "Islander's Bryan Trottier scores 5 goals against... February 13 in History at BrainyHistory.com". BrainyHistory.
  8. ^ Mike Weimerskirch (December 20, 2007). "Gaborik posts NHL's first five-goal game in decade". National Post. Retrieved January 1, 2008.[dead link]
  9. ^ Kirkland Crawford (February 2, 2011). "Johan Franzen scores five goals in Wings' victory". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  10. ^ "Patrik Laine scores 5 goals to lead Jets past Blues - Sportsnet.ca".
  11. ^ "Laine stays hot with five goals in Jets' win over Blues - TSN.ca". 24 November 2018.
  12. ^ The Canadian Press (5 March 2020). "Zibanejad becomes third Ranger to score five goals in win over Caps". tsn.ca. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  13. ^ Pashelka, Curtis (January 17, 2022). "Timo Meier sets new Sharks record with scoring outburst vs. Kings". The Mercury News. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  14. ^ "Thompson scores five of nine Sabres goals in win against Blue Jackets". NHL.com. December 8, 2022. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.

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