Tony Esposito and the Only Road Shutout of the 1974 Playoffs

The 1973-74 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs featured five shutouts in total, split among some of the era’s elite goaltenders. Bernie Parent recorded two, Tony Esposito posted two of his own, and Gilles Gilbert added one more. Yet among those five clean sheets, only one came on the road.

That lone road shutout occurred during the quarterfinal series between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Los Angeles Kings, a matchup defined by elite goaltending on both sides. Chicago’s Tony Esposito and Los Angeles netminder Rogie Vachon turned the series into a battle of patience, positioning, and shot suppression.

Game 3 was played at the Forum in Los Angeles on April 13, 1974, and it required only one goal to decide the outcome.

Just 40 seconds into the contest, Germain Gagnon stunned the home crowd by beating Vachon for what would stand as the game’s only goal. Stan Mikita and Cliff Koroll earned assists on the play, and from that moment on, scoring chances became scarce. Vachon allowed no further damage, stopping the final nine shots he faced.

At the opposite end of the ice, Tony Esposito was far busier. The Kings fired 32 shots on goal, but none found their way past the Chicago netminder. Esposito’s flawless performance sealed the 1-0 victory and marked the only shutout by a visiting team during the entire 1974 postseason.

The win pushed the Blackhawks to a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. Los Angeles avoided the sweep by winning Game 4, but Esposito closed the door again in Game 5 at Chicago Stadium with another 1-0 shutout. Over the five-game series, Chicago outscored the Kings by just a 10-7 margin, advancing despite averaging only two goals per game.

That defensive formula would not carry into the next round. Facing the Boston Bruins in the semifinals, the Blackhawks surrendered 28 goals over six games and were eliminated. Adding to the sting was the performance of Phil Esposito, Tony’s brother, who torched Chicago for six goals and two assists while firing 32 shots on net.

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Eight Seconds of History: Lafontaine’s Record-Breaking Night for the Islanders

Pat Lafontaine wasted little time making history during his first full NHL season with the New York Islanders.

The 1984-85 campaign marked Lafontaine’s first complete year in the league after joining the Islanders late in 1983-84, fresh off representing the United States at the Winter Olympics. Limited to just 67 of New York’s 80 games, Lafontaine still managed 19 goals, including a blistering two-goal burst that rewrote the Islanders’ record book.

On February 16, 1985, the Islanders hosted the Hartford Whalers at Nassau Coliseum. Despite sitting at -opposite ends of the standings, Hartford proved stubborn, and the game ultimately ended in a 4-4 tie.

With the Islanders trailing 3-1, Lafontaine struck at 8:53 of the second period, beating goaltender Greg Millen with assists from Tomas Jonsson and Dave Langevin. Just eight seconds later, at 9:01, Lafontaine struck again, this time assisted by Pat Flatley and Greg Gilbert, tying the game and setting a new franchise record for the fastest two goals by a single player.

The previous Islanders record of 10 seconds had been set by Clark Gillies during the 1974-75 season. Lafontaine’s eight-second burst erased it.

Both teams traded goals in the third period, and the game finished deadlocked at four, but the night belonged to the young Islanders center.

Lafontaine went on to compile an extraordinary NHL career, scoring 468 regular-season goals in just 865 games between 1983-84 and 1997-98 with the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres. He recorded six consecutive seasons with at least 41 goals, including two 50-goal campaigns, 54 goals with the Islanders in 1989-90 and 53 with the Sabres in 1992-93, cementing his legacy as one of the era’s most dangerous scorers.

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Toronto Maple Leafs Set NHL Playoff Record With Lightning-Fast Start vs. Atlanta (1979)

The Toronto Maple Leafs made NHL playoff history during the 1978-79 postseason, exploding out of the gate in Game 2 of their preliminary round series against the Atlanta Flames.

Game 1 of the best-of-three series had been a tight, physical affair. A brawl-heavy contest with limited offense saw Toronto skate away with a 2-1 win, thanks to two goals from Walt McKechnie. Game 2, however, was an entirely different story.

Toronto wasted no time rewriting the playoff record book.

Darryl Sittler opened the scoring just 4:04 into the first period, beating Atlanta goaltender Dan Bouchard with Pat Boutette picking up the lone assist. Only 12 seconds later, Sittler struck again, this time with help from Lanny McDonald.

Before the crowd could even settle, Ron Ellis made it 3-0 just 23 seconds after Sittler’s first goal, with Dan Maloney and Joel Quenneville earning assists.

Those three goals in 23 seconds established a new NHL playoff record for fastest three goals by one team. The previous mark had stood for 60 years, set by the Montreal Canadiens when they scored three times in 40 seconds against the Ottawa Senators. The closest any team has come since was the Anaheim Ducks in 2014-15, who managed three goals in 37 seconds.

The Maple Leafs went on to win the game 7-4 and sweep the series 2–0.

Toronto’s postseason run ended in the quarter-finals against Montreal, where the Canadiens swept the series. Despite the lopsided result, the matchup was far tighter than it appeared. Game 3 wasn’t decided until 5:25 into the second overtime, while Game 4 also required an extra period before Montreal finally closed the door.

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