The Stanley Cup Playoffs will give you all kinds of hockey games every spring, from a 0-0 game in overtime to a full-on scoring avalanche and everything in between.
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Those low-scoring games where fans hang on to every shot are exciting, but you could argue that nothing beats the twists and turns of a high-scoring game.
The Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild combined for one of the most entertaining games in recent playoff history when Game 1 of their second-round matchup saw 15 total goals and both teams blow leads.
Here’s a look at the highest-scoring playoff games in NHL history and where the Avalanche’s win over the Wild ranks.
FURTHER:Fewer shots in NHL playoff win after Canadiens’ strange Game 7
What is the highest scoring NHL playoff game?
The Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers played the highest-scoring playoff game in NHL history on April 7, 1982, when the Kings scored the final two goals of the game for a 10-8 victory in the first game of a five-game first-round series.
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Marcel Dionne and Daryl Evans each scored twice for Los Angeles, while Risto Siltanen scored the only multi-goal effort for the Oilers. Wayne Gretzky also got into action with a goal against his future team.
The Kings led 8-6 after two periods, and the final period was actually the lowest scoring period of the game with three goals tied before an empty-net goal sealed the victory for Los Angeles. The Kings would win the series, which included two more 11-goal games, but nothing that could rival 18.
Here’s a rundown of the highest-scoring playoff games in NHL history.
FURTHER:Complete Avalanche-Wild Series Schedule
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Highest-scoring NHL playoff games of all time
|
Date |
Round |
Total goals |
Result |
|
April 7, 1982 |
First round |
18 |
Kings 10, Oilers 8 |
|
April 25, 1989 |
Second round |
17 |
Penguins 10, Flyers 7 |
|
April 9, 1987 |
First round |
16 |
Oilers 13, Kings 3 |
|
April 10, 1990 |
First round |
16 |
Kings 12, Flames 4 |
|
May 8, 1973 |
Stanley Cup Final |
15 |
Blackhawks 8, Canadiens 7 |
|
April 9, 1981 |
First round |
15 |
North Stars 9, Bruins 6 |
|
May 14, 1985 |
conference final |
15 |
Oilers 10, Blackhawks 5 |
|
April 29, 1993 |
First round |
15 |
Kings 9, Flames 6 |
|
May 18, 2022 |
Second round |
15 |
Flames 9, Oilers 6 |
|
May 3, 2026 |
Second round |
15 |
Avalanche 9, Savage 6 |
Only four playoff games have featured more goals than Colorado’s 9-6 victory over Minnesota, and they all occurred in a nine-year span, between 1982 and 1990. One more goal between the Avalanche and Wild in Game 1 would have made it the highest-scoring playoff game in 36 years.
Instead, it is the NHL’s highest-scoring playoff game in four years, matching the 15 goals scored by the Flames and Oilers during their second-round battle in 2022. The 15 goals were enough for Avalanche-Wild to enter the all-time top 10, which now includes just two games from the 21st century.