The 2023-24 Philadelphia Flyers established a new NHL record by scoring five penalty shot goals during the season. In fact, the Flyers went 5-for-5 in converting their penalty shot opportunities.
The 2023-24 Philadelphia Flyers established a new NHL record by scoring five penalty shot goals during the season. In fact, the Flyers went 5-for-5 in converting their penalty shot opportunities.
The prior record of four penalty shot goals was shared by four clubs: The 1997-98 Vancouver Canucks, the 2003-04 Minnesota Wild, the 2005-06 Carolina Hurricanes, and the 2013-14 Dallas Stars.
Following is a look back at each of the five goals that went into the Flyers setting a new league record.
Sean Couturier
Date: Oct. 17, 2023
Opponent: vs. Vancouver Canucks
Goaltender: Thatcher Demko
The Situation: With the Flyers leading 1-0 at 17:23 of the first period, Couturier was fouled on a breakaway by desepation slash on his hands by Noah Juulsen.Owen Tippett started a counterattack with a bank pass out to Cam Atkinson at the Vancouver blueline. Atkinson then sent a quick feed to Couturier, sending him in ahead of the defense.
The move: While he was rehabbing from back surgery, Couturier worked on perfecting a move first made famous by Martin St. Louis. Moving in on Demko, Couturier momentarily turned his back to the goalie. Suddenly, he turned back toward the net and fired home a shot for his first goal of 2023-24. Demko was caught completely off guard on the sequence. A few weeks later, even without the element of surprise, Couturier used the same move successfully again during a shootout. He went 2-for-3 in scoring off this move.
Game outcome: The Flyers won this game, their home opener, by a 2-0 score.
Travis Konecny
Date: Dec. 9, 2023
Opponent: @ Colorado Avalanche
Goaltender: Ivan Prosvetov
The situation: With the Flyers leading 3-2 at 9:31 of the third period, Konecny's breakaway was impeded by a Nathan MacKinnon holding infraction.
The move: Konecny moved in slowly to the left hash marks. His wrist shot went off the top of Prosvestov's pad and over the goal line for his 16th goal of the season.
Game outcome: In one of the Flyers most stirring victories of the first half of the 2023-24 season, Philly downed the host Avs by a 5-2 score.
Scott Laughton
Date: January 18, 2024
Opponent: vs. Dallas Stars
Goaltender: Jake Oettinger
The situation: With the Flyers leading 3-1 at 9:16 of the third period, Laughton broke free on a breakaway. Joel Hanley had little choice other than to hook Laughton in an effort to slow him down.
The move: Lots of work went into this penalty shot tally. Moving in from near the left boards, Laugton went forehand/backhand/forehand to get Oettinger to commit. From near the left post, Laughton slid home his fifth goal of the season under the goalie's right pad. There was some question over whether Laughton had made an illegal move to take the puck backwards. After a review, the goal stood.
Game outcome: In arguably the best 60-minute performance of the season, the Flyers outshot the powerhouse Stars by a lopsided 43-15 margin and skated off with a 5-1 victory.
Laughts of patience and it pays off. #DALvsPHI | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/e2y0rOwQFY
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) January 19, 2024
Morgan Frost
Date: Feb. 12, 2024
Opponent: vs. Arizona Coyotes
Goaltender: Karel Vejmelka
The situation: With the Flyers trailing 1-0 at 4:23 of the second period, Michael Kesslring hooked Frost to impede a breakaway opportunity after Frost split the defense over the middle of the ice off a lead pass from Atkinson.
The move: Frost used one of his favorite moves on this penalty shot: one he's also employed successfully twice in shootouts (Feb. 9, 2023, vs. Edmonton's Stuart Skinner and March 4, 2024 vs. St. Louis' Jordan Binnington). Swinging in very deliberately from the left circle, Frost took the goalie off his angle just enough to find room to the stick side. Frost unleashed a wrist shot to the far side for his ninth goal of the season.
Game outcome: The Flyers had been frustrated offensively on this night until the Frost penalty shot goal. The rest of the second period was a seesaw affair, going to intermission with the Coyotes leading, 3-2. In the third period, Philly erupted for three unanswered goals to skate off with a 5-2 win.
Tyson Foerster
Date: March 2, 2024
Opponent: vs. Ottawa Senators
Goaltender: Mads Sogaard
The situation: Foerster's goal directly off a faceoff at 19:13 of the second period provided Philly with a 2-1 lead. In the waning seconds, Foerster intercepted the puck in the defensive zone and had a clean breakaway ahead of him. Foerster's breakaway was impeded by a Shane Pinto hook. The whistle blew with 1.5 second left in the period.
The move: Foerster moved across from the right circle. From the left slot, the right-handed shooter beat Sogaard low to the glove side inside the left post for his second goal of the game and 16th of the season.
Game outcome: Foerster's two goals put the Flyers in the driver's seat heading into the third period. The Flyers prevailed, 4-2, after the teams traded off one goal apiece in the final frame The penalty shot tally stood as the game winner.
Notes
- In overtime of the Flyers' March 4 home game against St. Louis, Frost sprung Travis Sanheim one-on-one with goalie Jordan Binnington. Sanheim was slashed on the hand from behind by Blues forward Robert Thomas. No penalty shot was awarded to Sanheim and no penalty was called on Thomas. The Blues subsequently won via shootout, 2-1 (2-1).
- The Flyers had a 4-3 record in shootouts this season.
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