NHL: 30 best series winning goals in NHL Playoffs history

There’s nothing quite like the NHL Playoffs. Everything is amped up to 11. There is nothing like watching your team play for a chance to win the Stanley Cup.

Well, maybe there’s something. When the game goes to overtime, there’s a chance for one of the teams to win the series, and it’s even better when it happens in Game 7. The chance for a team’s season to end in literally an instant at any moment is enthralling. It’s different than any other sport. In baseball, only one team can score at a time. In football, there’s a clear offense and defense. In soccer, they go to penalty kicks. In basketball, there’s a clock to tell you when the final buzzer comes. In hockey, at any time, either team can break millions of hearts all at once.

The amount of stress that comes with these moments. This is what makes them so great when they go your team’s way. However, the feeling that comes when it goes the wrong way sticks for a long, long time. There’s nothing in sports like those feelings.

There have been dozens of goals that ended a series. This will look at the best 30 of all time. These goals are so great that goals that have won Stanley Cup Finals aren’t on the list. Let’s start with number 30.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
30. Craig MacTavish beats the Kings

Wayne Gretzky had been traded to the Los Angeles Kings in the offseason before the 1988-89 season. He played his former team, the Edmonton Oilers, in the playoffs the next three seasons. In 1989 and 1990, the Oilers and Kings both took home a series win. In 1991, it was a great rubber match.

Four of the six games of this series went to overtime. These two teams almost played two extra games between all of the overtime periods. So it was obviously going to end in extras. One weird thing about this series; Gretzky didn’t score a goal. The Kings were relying on Luc Robitaille, who scored both game-winning goals in the series for the Kings.

On the other side, the Oilers were scoring on a measured level. Gone were the days of the greatest top six in history. Now, it was winning on a balanced approach. That’s how we got Craig MacTavish in a position to win a game.

MacTavish raced to the front of the net and took a pass from Petr Klima. He was able to score from about a foot out from Kings goalie Kelly Hrudey. This came just seconds after the referees disallowed a goal by Anatoli Semenov. The Oilers were hot, but the Kings were just tired. The opponent was running out of gas, so it was a matter of time before the defending Stanley Cup Champions put them out of their misery.

The Oilers would end up losing in the next round to the surprising Minnesota North Stars, and it seemed to be closer to the end for this great franchise. However, they still had this great moment where they sent their former superstar home.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
29. Pavel Bure beats the Flames

Before the Vancouver Canucks most famous loss in franchise history to the New York Rangers, there was one of the biggest wins. The Canucks went to seven games with Western Canadian rival the Calgary Flames. The Flames took a 3-1 series lead before the Canucks put together one of the grittiest performances (no, not the Flyers mascot) in the history of the playoffs. They won three straight games. All of them went to overtime. Game 7 went to two overtimes.

The Flames just couldn’t get it done in the extra frame. So maybe, they could get it done in overtime number two. Canucks star Pavel Bure was not letting that happen.

Bure already had the opening goal for the Canucks this game and he had the game-tying primary assist on Greg Adams goal in the third period. In overtime, he took a tape-to-tape pass from Jeff Brown. Bure was able to skate in between the two defenders, and he was all alone with Flames goalie Mike Vernon. It honestly wasn’t fair, and Bure was able to deke Vernon onto his behind. Then, Bure just pushed it into the net off his forehand.

The Canucks would go all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, building off the momentum of this goal. It was better than most 3-1 series comebacks because every single win came in overtime. One bad bounce would mean the end of the Canucks season, but they found a way to get every game to overtime, and there they took over.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
28. Pete Babando beats the Rangers

A Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final goes to double overtime, and it’s all the way at 28th on the list? Honestly, there just isn’t a ton of information on this game. 1950s hockey was not covered like 1950s baseball, so the history takes some digging.

1950 was a year of lasts for the NHL. This was the last Stanley Cup Final to take place partially on neutral ice, with two games taking place at Maple Leaf Gardens (until 2020). The circus was in New York, and apparently, that took precedence over championship hockey at the time. Because of that, the Rangers didn’t host any games. It was the last time that ever happened.

The Rangers were also the last team to win the O’Brien Cup, which was then awarded to the losing team of the Stanley Cup Final. It was literally a consolation trophy.

The goal is hard to find. There’s this video, which looks like it was edited by Edward Scissorhands, but it’s something.

So, from what we can tell, Pete Babando takes a shot on the legendary Chuck Raynor. His backhand ended up in the net and the Detroit Red Wings took home the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1943. It’s Game 7 overtime in the Stanley Cup Final. Is there anything more you can want (besides a clear video)?

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
27. Jeremy Roenick beats the Maple Leafs

Hockey fans have been hearing about 2004 a lot lately. That’s because it was the last time the Toronto Maple Leafs won a playoff series. After blowing a 3-1 series lead to the Montreal Canadiens in 2021, it seems like that might be the last time it happens. Either way, it was a back breaker of a loss.

The Leafs took on the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round. They were one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, so the Leafs had a long hill to climb. The Leafs went down in the series 2-0, but they won both games back in Toronto to even things up. After losing again in Philly, they went back to the Air Canada Centre where the Leafs were undefeated in the series.

The Flyers took a 2-0 lead in the first period. It seemed like they had the Leafs’ number when they held that lead into the third period. Then, Karel Pilar finally broke the wall that was Robert Esche. There were less than 11 minutes left in the game, but the Leafs were in it. Six minutes later, and the Leafs’ star was on the case. Mats Sundin tied the game with less than five minutes left. Elation at the Air Canada Centre.

In overtime, it was all for naught.

The play was absolute craziness. The Leafs were driving on Esche, but then the Flyers got a two-on-one that John LeClair ended up taking a shot on. The play went the other way, and Sundin got another chance that was blocked. The play went the other way again, and Jeremy Roenick shot the puck rather than pass it. He beat Ed Belfour, and the Flyers were in the Eastern Conference Finals. This would be the last time the Leafs would see the second round of the playoffs, and it ended like this.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
26. Peter Stastny beats the Canadiens

What more could one ask for in a matchup? It was a battle of Quebec with the Nordiques taking on the Canadiens. It was the high-scoring time that was the mid-80s. It was Game 7 and none of the other second-round series went to seven games, so every hockey fan’s eyes were on this game. These two teams were one-two in the Adams Division. A Hall of Famer took the puck on his stick in overtime, and it was a grand story.

This was an important series for the Nordiques. They faced off in the second round in 1984, and the Canadiens beat them in six. It was time for payback.

The series was a barn burner. They traded wins from Game 1 to Game 7, and the away team won every game from Game 4 to Game 7. There was so much craziness in this series, and the final game was going back in front of those raucous Montreal fans. It’s going to be a fun one to figure out the winner.

Quebec took a 2-0 lead in Game 7, but Montreal would not die. Two second-period goals, including Mats Naslund’s seventh of the postseason, tied the game. After a scoreless third period, the game went into overtime. Here we are again. Then, Peter Stastny stepped up and sent the Canadiens packing.

Stastny got a little lucky there, but as they say, it’s better to be lucky than good. Canadiens goalie Steve Penney tried to grab the puck with his glove, but he actually threw it over his head and right back to Stastny. It led to an easy goal, and it was a play that directly led to the end of the Canadiens season. Penney lost his position as starter next season, he would end up going to Winnipeg the season after. The Nordiques didn’t win it all, but this moment might be the best in their short-lived history.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
25. Dustin Penner beats the Coyotes

The 2012 Los Angeles Kings were a bullet the second they entered the playoffs. As an eight seed, they ran through the top-seeded Vancouver Canucks in quick fashion.  They swept the St. Louis Blues in the second round. In the third round, they faced the equally surprising Phoenix Coyotes. The winner would be facing an unlikely matchup with the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Kings didn’t have much trouble with the Coyotes, but winning this series was an important step, and they did it in overtime of Game 5. The Yotes played much better in Games 3, 4, and 5. So, it seemed like they could be poised to make a comeback in the series. Game 5 saw the Coyotes beat Jonathan Quick three times, the most of the series at the time. A two-goal second period had the Coyotes holding onto their season.

Then, the game went to overtime. Mike Smith was standing on his head and stopped 47 shots in the game. Michael Rozsival suffered a pretty serious injury after a Dustin Brown hit in overtime. Emotions seemed to be at an all-time high. Then, just moments later, Dustin Penner was in the right place at the right time.

It was a pretty harmless shot. However, the rebound got past two Coyotes defensemen and went right to Penner who was waiting in between the circles. He had a lot of open net to shoot at, and Smith’s glove hand was not fast enough to stop it. The Kings were on their way to the Stanley Cup Final, and they would eventually win it. But the walk off win against the Coyotes will be the game that stands out on that great run.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
24. Henri Richard beats the Red Wings

For this one, we’re going back to 1966 when one of the biggest stars in the history of the league had the puck on his stick with a chance to win the Stanley Cup. The Montreal Canadiens and the Detroit Red Wings were going back and forth in the six-game series. Detroit won the first two games of the season, but Montreal went on an epic run that ended in overtime of the final game of the series.

Floyd Smith attempted some heroics, scoring with ten minutes left in the game to tie it for the Red Wings. However, Henri “Pocket Rocket” Richard was on the other side, and he had other ideas for the series. If anyone was going to play hero, it was the little brother of the original “Rocket” Richard.

Henri Richard won the Stanley Cup 11 times, an NHL record, but none were as memorable as the 1966 win. There was just something about Henri that he could will his team to victory. This time, he quite literally did just that.

He scored other game-winning goals, overtime goals, and even Stanley Cup winning goals in his career, but Henri Richard’s goal to win the 1966 Stanley Cup was second to none. This was one of the great players in this sport getting to the net and winning the game.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
23. Ray Whitney beats the Flames

Here we go again. Game 7. Double overtime. A certified star had the puck on his stick with everything on the line. A young goalie was on the other side looking to make a name for himself. The drama was intense despite it being just the first round between the Flames and Sharks in 1995.

This series was wild. The Sharks won the first two games pretty handily. Then, the Flames came back and won three games in a row, which included two absolute blowouts. The Sharks won Game 6 at home, and the series would go back to Calgary for Game 7.

The game was a high-scoring affair with one of the craziest third periods in a Game 7 we’ve ever seen. The Sharks had a 2-1 lead going into the period when Pat Falloon made it 3-1 just 19 seconds into the 3rd. That could have taken the life out of the Flames, but not this time. Four minutes later, Sheldon Kennedy made it 3-2, and it seemed like the Flames had new life with plenty of time to go. Craig Janney made it 4-2, but the Flames had some heroics in their back pocket. Joe Nieuwendyk and German Titov scored just 38 seconds apart to tie the game, and we were heading to overtime. With how busy the third period was, it’s no surprise that overtime ended quickly. It ended on a shot from Ray Whitney.

Ray Whitney just sits in front of the net and tips the puck past Trevor Kidd. The Sharks were swarming around the Flames net, and they had the entire defense on its heels. That is never a good place to be in overtime, and it ended up being the final mistakes of the Flames 1995 season.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
22. Chris Kunitz beats the Senators

In 2017, the Pittsburgh Penguins were the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Sidney Crosby and company were looking to become the first back-to-back champ since the 1997 and 1998 Detroit Red Wings. However, the Ottawa Senators were putting together a full-court press to try and stop them. They faced off with one of their best teams in the Eastern Conference Finals. This was one of the great series of this era.

Four of the seven games were decided by one goal. Game 1 saw the Senators win it in overtime, so Ottawa showed they could win in Pittsburgh when it mattered most. So, when Game 7 in Steel City ended up going past regulation, the Senators were confident. It was back and forth that whole first overtime period, but nobody was able to break the goalies. Some players got so close. Phil Kessel took a shot off his elbow that hit the crossbar twice and popped out. So, we went to a second overtime. About five minutes in, that old partnership of Crosby and Chris Kunitz struck.

It was a short pass one timer that beat a screened Craig Anderson. Crosby once again found one of his favorite wingers and helped them score with the game on the line. The Penguins won Game 7 on that seeing-eye shot and they would go on to win those back-to-back Stanley Cups. Pittsburgh dominated most of overtime, and Anderson’s luck ran out five minutes into the second overtime.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
21. Derek Stepan beats the Capitals

Back in 2015, the narrative for Alexander Ovechkin was that he couldn’t win the big one. He had never been past the second round of the playoffs. Then, he saw himself with a chance to finally make it to the conference finals. The Washington Capitals were playing the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden in Game 7 of the second-round series. Braden Holtby put up a masterful performance, allowing just one goal in regulation. Ovechkin scored a first-period goal to give his team the lead. Everything was going right.

Then, Kevin Hayes scored in the second period to tie the game. Those same feelings of past playoff failures started to bubble up. That stress got worse when regulation ended. It’s a Game 7 overtime for two franchises that have been full of disappointments, but at least the Rangers have 1994. The Capitals never won a championship in their 40-year history. Oh, before we forget, the Capitals held a 3-1 series lead at one point. They blew a series lead, and now it’s overtime.

The Capitals put up a huge fight at the start of overtime, but nobody could beat Henrik Lundqvist. He just had their number. Holtby was good too until a wrist shot came off the stick of Derek Stepan.

Stepan won the faceoff, got himself in position, watched a shot off the stick of Dan Girardi, and took a shot while Holtby was off-balanced. The Rangers were on their way to kill their demons (which they couldn’t) while the Capitals were going home again. Now, since then, Ovechkin and the Capitals finally won their first Stanley Cup Championship, but at this moment, Capitals fans could only see pain and darkness.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
20. Pat Lafontaine beats the Capitals

This one doesn’t get as much love because a. it was a first-round series and b. the winner got knocked out in the next round. However, a Game 7 going to four overtimes is one of the most exciting things that can happen in a playoff series. Imagine going a full 68 minutes where neither team could score.

Kelly Hrudey made 73 saves for the New York Islanders and Bob Mason made 54 saves for the Washington Capitals. These two goalies were carrying their teams through every overtime period. The Capitals threw the kitchen sink at Hrudey, but he was ready for everything.

Then came overtime number four. Remember, this was Game 7. The next goal sent one team home and moved another team in the playoffs. This was about living on in the hallows of the NHL history books. This eventually got the nickname the “Easter Epic”. It got that name because it started on Saturday night, but the game didn’t end until Easter morning. There were some angry families in the D.C. area when Capitals fans no longer wanted to spend time doing Easter activities.

Now to the goal. Noted defensive defenseman Gord Dineen took the puck behind the net. Bryan Trottier said in an interview that he “never seen Gord Dineen ever go that deep in the zone in his life.” He shot the puck towards the net, and it ricocheted off a defender, and it went right to Pat Lafontaine. He spun around, wound up, and shot the puck at the near post. He hit in and it went right in. The longest Game 7 in history was over. The home team lost. The New York Islanders were still holding on to some of their dynasty dreams. It was one game that will go down in history.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
19. Brad May beats the Bruins

On the surface, this one doesn’t make a lot of sense, but it lives on in the hallows of Buffalo Sabres lore for how important it was for the franchise, how beautiful the goal was, and the call made by the play-by-play man. The whole thing turns itself into a moment. It doesn’t matter that the Sabres swept the Bruins. It doesn’t matter that this was a first-round series where the Sabres got swept in the second round. None of it matters except for the moment.

Three of the four games between the Bruins and Sabres went to overtime. The Bruins were the top seed in the Adams Division and the Sabres barely made the playoffs.  This should have been an easy win for Boston, but there was magic in the air for Buffalo. Pat Lafontaine was coming off his best season ever, putting up 148 points. Alexander Mogilny scored 76 goals as a rookie. Dale Hawerchuk and Dave Andreychuk put together great seasons too. There were pieces here, but the finished product left much to be desired. Except, when it was overtime.

In Game 1, Bob Sweeney struck 11 minutes in overtime. Yuri Khmylev needed just over a minute to end Game 3. In Game 4, it all started with Lafontaine making a fabulous play from the ground to get the game moving.

Lafontaine literally passed the puck from his bottom. Brad May made a fool of an in-his-prime Ray Bourque. And that call. Rick Jeanneret yelling “May Day, May Day, May Day, May Day” as the Sabres celebrate winning the series shows how important this was. Sometimes it’s hard to rank the importance of certain goals on paper alone.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
18. Uwe Krupp beats the Panthers

The Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers had amazing stories on their way to the Stanley Cup Final in 1996. Colorado was a really good team until they traded for Patrick Roy. That made them a great team. They ran through the Pacific Division, but there were some awesome teams lurking in the playoffs. Detroit looked like a sure bet to make the Western Conference Finals. Pittsburgh seemed like the favorites out East, but a trendy team from South Florida found motivation in a rat.

The Red Wings and Penguins both made the conference finals, but neither made it out. The Avs and Panthers showed to be the better team when it matters most, and that set up a matchup in the Stanley Cup Final.

This isn’t on the list because it was part of an epic series. However, this game was one of the greatest defensive matchups paired with phenomenal goalie performances of all time. Patrick Roy and John Vanbiesbrouck went 104 minutes without allowing a goal in Game 4. The Avs were looking to win the Stanley Cup in the first year since relocating from Quebec. The Panthers were looking to establish hockey in a tropical climate. Something was going to give, and it came off the stick of an unlikely hero.

That right there shows the importance of clearing the puck. The Panthers failed twice to clear the puck, and Krupp took a shot from the blue line that found its way past Vanbiesbrouck. The Avalanche were Stanley Cup Champs after sweeping the Panthers. Who knows what happens if the Panthers win that game. The Avs would be tired, the fanbase would tell their children about attending that game, and the fanbase might be more raucous in South Florida today. Instead, Colorado is a booming hockey market, and Florida is usually considered a future relocation target.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
17. Nathan Horton beats the Canadiens

The 2011 Boston Bruins finally won the big one. After waiting 39 years between championships, the Bruins were finally able to lift the greatest trophy in sports. However, it almost all went up in smoke in the first round. That magical 2011 run depended on a Game 7 in the first series of the postseason.

The Montreal Canadiens made things real when they won both Bruins home games to start the series. It was a “no, not again” feeling up in New England. This team was different than those past Bruins teams who would constantly fall below expectations. They fought back and won both games in Montreal. Fast forward to Game 7, and the two teams put everything on the line to move on.

Chris Kelly gave the Bruins the lead with just over 10 minutes left in the 3rd period, but P.K. Subban was looking to play hero. The young defenseman found the back of the net with under two minutes left to tie the game and eventually send it to overtime. There, Nathan Horton was the man who took the game on his stick.

It was all so simple. The Bruins win the faceoff. Montreal tries to take the puck, but it always stays deep in their zone. Subban can’t even move the puck past the circles, and Milan Lucic gets a hold of it. He finds a wide open Nathan Horton, and he slaps a one timer past Carey Price. It wouldn’t be the only big goal Horton scored, as he had the only goal in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final, but it was his most important since this one came in sudden death overtime. This would push the Bruins all the way to the Final where they would face…

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
16. Kevin Bieksa beats the Sharks

This might have been a Game 5, but this had two haunted franchises in the Canucks and Sharks fighting to get to the Stanley Cup Final, and the Canucks had the chance to put the Sharks away. However, the Sharks took the lead and held it all the way until there were 15 seconds left in the game. It seemed like a Game 6 back in San Jose was inevitable. Only, Ryan Kesler wanted a break before seeing the Bruins.

Kesler scored with 14 seconds left in the game to tie it up. He won the faceoff, kept changing his position, then found a spot in front of Antti Niemi, and tipped a Henrik Sedin shot down through the five hole and in the back of the net.

The Sharks were on the ropes, as all those previous playoff failures bubbled to the surface, but it wasn’t time to give up. It was anyone’s ballgame (or hockey game) in overtime. Nobody was able to score in overtime number one, so overtime number two would be the place these two would finally settle their differences, and it was Vancouver who would be celebrating.

Wait…. what just happened? The puck looks like it goes out of play, but actually it hit a stantion and went directly to Kevin Bieksa’s stick. Niemi didn’t even know the play was still going on. The Sharks defenders looked like their controller got disconnected. And Bieksa took advantage. His slap shot from the point just needed to keep from going wide and it would send the Canucks to the Final.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
15. Ken Doraty beats the Bruins

Listen, there isn’t a ton to say about this one, but it’s literally impossible to keep this off the list. It was back in 1933. Ken Doraty was one of the first “great when it matters” players in league history. He remains the only person to score a hat trick in overtime. This is so far back, this is before overtime was sudden death.

That was unless the game goes to six overtimes. Toronto and Boston were playing in their fifth and final game of the semi-finals. This was back in 1933, remember, so there were only nine teams in the league. They didn’t have to play in the first round, so this was their first series of the playoffs.

It was early in the league’s existence, but there were already pretty passionate fanbases in Boston and Toronto. While cities like Montreal and New York shared teams, Boston and Toronto had one franchise to root for. Now, these two teams fought to make it to the Final. Three of the first four games of the series went to overtime, so the extra frame was very familiar with these two teams. However, six overtimes seems a little egregious. That’s what happened in the fifth and deciding game when neither team could score for two hours, 44 minutes, and 45 seconds. Then Doraty got the puck and finally put it behind the great Tiny Thompson.

There’s not going to be a video of this. Televisions didn’t even arrive in Canada until 1952. This is still one of the greatest series-ending goals ever. It was a fun ride in the way-back machine, but it’s time to get back to more recent times. Doraty was a monster in overtime, and here’s hoping someone can dig up a radio broadcast.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
14. Daniel Alfredsson beats the Sabres

This series might have only gone five games, but it was five games of pure and utter drama. After Ottawa won Game 1 5-2. Every game after that was decided by one goal. The Senators and Sabres were looking for their first Stanley Cups, and both made the conference finals by taking out the Devils and the Rangers. This was 2007 when they seemed destined to face each other. Instead, the Sabres and Senators beat them both and they would face off in a pretty exciting conference final.

Game 2 went to double overtime before Joe Corvo of all people ended the game. Ray Emery shut out the Sabres in Game 3 in a 1-0 win, but the Sabres kept their season alive in Game 4 thanks to Ryan Miller shutting the door in the 3rd period. In Game 5, the Sabres faced an uphill battle.

This game had everything. Both goalies made diving saves. Both the stars and the glue guys were scoring goals. However, it was the Senators’ three-headed monster of Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, and Daniel Alfredsson that proved to be the difference. Heatley and Spezza both scored in regulation, and in overtime, the captain made the play of the game to win it.

It seems so simple on paper, but just getting a shot off there was impressive. Alfredsson was facing three Buffalo defenders, and he took the shot from the circle, but it was enough to surprise Miller, and the Senators were headed to the Stanley Cup Final.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
13. Alec Martinez beats the Rangers

The image of Henrik Lundqvist face down on the ice as the Los Angeles Kings celebrated the 2014 Stanley Cup Championship will stick with hockey fans across the world. It was both devastating and impossibly mesmerizing at the same time. Here’s this goalie who’s been on these great teams for nine seasons got as close as possible to the championship before watching as it slipped through his fingers. The Rangers would never get as close as this again.

The game was great. Justin Williams scored in a deciding Stanley Cup Final game (because of course he did). Chris Kreider and Brian Boyle scored second-period goals to give the Rangers the lead. Marian Gaborik scored to tie the game in the third period. Both teams came close, but neither scored in the first overtime. Ryan McDonagh and Tyler Toffoli both even hit the post in a chance to win the game. This was also the third time this series the game needed overtime. These two teams knew the pressure they were facing.

Then, it happened. Kyle Clifford came up the ice with two teammates. The Rangers only had two defenders back. Clifford passed the puck to Toffoli, who took a shot. Lundqvist stopped it, but the rebound went right to Alec Martinez.

The Kings were champions again. The Rangers and their fans had this sinking feeling that hasn’t gone away. Winning this game would have brought it back to Madison Square Garden, and anything could happen from there. Instead, the Kings won in front of its fans for the second time in three seasons. It was looking like Los Angeles had a dynasty on its hands, and it was all because of Martinez being at the right place at the right time.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
12. Jason Arnott beats the Stars

The 2000 Stanley Cup Final was the matchup we all wanted to see. The New Jersey Devils moved past their “trap” days and had one of the best offenses in hockey. Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars were the defending Stanley Cup Champions. The Stars just went through a slobber knocker with the Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals. The Devils made a miraculous comeback against the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Both conference finals went seven games, and the playoffs were as exciting as anyone would hope.

Let’s fast forward to Game 5. The Devils were up in the series 3-1, and they were looking to close it out at home. Martin Brodeur held the stars scoreless through five periods. The only problem for the Devils is Ed Belfour did the same thing. In fact, the Devils peppered Belfour with 48 shots before the game was over, but it wasn’t enough. Mike Modano finally beat Brodeur in the third overtime, and the series was going back to Dallas.

Game 6 went to overtime again. After playing basically a doubleheader back to back on Thursday night, they had to go to extra time on Saturday. These two teams had to have been tired, but that didn’t hurt the style of play. Both teams were hitting each other with their best shots. The goalies were on their games again, both only allowing one goal through 88 minutes of play. Then, Patrik Elias went into the corner and found a wide-open Jason Arnott.

It was a walk-off Stanley Cup win. There’s just nothing like it. Anything can happen in overtime. Losing two games in multiple overtimes in a row might have been a peak too great to bear for the Devils. Instead, Jersey’s Team had its second Stanley Cup in franchise history. The team was great, and when it mattered, the “A” Line won the series for the Devils.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
11. Bob Nystrom beats the Flyers

It looks very strange to see the New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers face each other in the Stanley Cup Final, but that’s how things went in the 1980 playoffs. This was also the start of something very special on Long Island. This Islanders team was all hitting their stride at the same time, but who knows what would have happened if the Flyers found a way to win Game 6 in overtime. History has a funny way of changing on a dime.

Game 6 was a roller coaster of emotions. The Flyers scored first on the power play. The Islanders immediately responded with two goals to take the lead in the first period. Before the period ended, Brian Propp tied the game. Mike Bossy and Bob Nystrom both scored in the second period to give the Islanders a commanding lead. However, the Flyers responded with two of their own in the third period. This one was going to overtime.

Did we mention this was a chippy game? A total of 33 penalties were called. No, not 33 PIMs, there were 33 separate penalties called in the deciding game of a Stanley Cup Final. It only made sense that these two teams needed an extra period to pick a winner. That’s where the Islanders found themselves a hero.

Nystrom would score his second goal of the game to give the Islanders their first win of the dynasty. Look at Nystrom’s line for this game: two goals, four shots, and 21 penalty minutes. Now that’s an 80s hockey player stat line if we’ve ever seen one. Two stick-to-stick passes changed the history of the Islanders. No matter what happens to them this year, they will always have this dynasty and the walk-off fashion in which it started.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
10. Steve Yzerman beats the Blues

We start the top ten with one of the most irrationally confident shots in the history of the NHL. Steve Yzerman was one of the best players of his era. He deserved every accolade he got. When he was running the puck down the ice in overtime of Game 7 in the 1996 second round against the St. Louis Blues, everyone should have expected he was going to do something fabulous. The shot that came off his stick almost defies science.

Let’s rewind for a second. The Red Wings were the favorites to win it all this season. They went to the Stanley Cup Final the season before, and they worked to get even better. They took care of the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, but the Blues gave them a much bigger fight. After looking outmatched in the first two games, the Blues won three straight one-goal games.

In Game 7, Jon Casey and Chris Osgood put on a shot. They faced a combined 68 shots before allowing a goal. That goal came a minute and 15 seconds into the second overtime. Yzerman didn’t wait for the rest of his teammates to get into the zone. He saw an opening, and he took it.

Yzerman fired a slapshot from the blue line. It honestly looked like it went 200 miles per hour. It’s hard not to blame a goalie for missing a game-winning goal when it comes from 60 feet out, but look at that shot. It was a rocket that went into the one spot that would equal a goal. Poor Jon Casey saw his legacy end on a shot from so far away when he was insane the other 88 minutes that game.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
9. Barclay Goodrow beats the Golden Knights

It takes a lot for a first-round series-winning goal to make it into the top ten, but it’s hard to argue what happened here when the Vegas Golden Knights took on the San Jose Sharks in 2019. There is no reason to talk about anything else in this series other than the third period and overtime of Game 7. It was one of the most controversial calls in the history of the playoffs that directly led to the elimination of one team.

The major penalty called against Cody Eakin completely changed the game and the series. It was a weak call. Honestly, it looked like a two-minute cross-check. The fall was worse than the hit. The refs clearly overreacted to that. The Sharks were down 3-0 at the time of the penalty. Once the five-minute major was over, it was 4-3 Sharks. Sure, the Knights should have stopped them on the penalty kill, but once a power play starts going. it is hard to stop. And if that power play can just keep going, it’s going to keep scoring.

It seemed like the Knights were bound to lose, but Jonathan Marchessault scored with less than a minute left in the game to force overtime. It felt like Karma. The Sharks were not going to win this game on a questionable call in Game 7. That seemed too cruel even for the hockey gods. So, to overtime we go.

There, things got stressful for both sides. Timo Meier came in close on Marc-Andre Fleury, but he poked the puck away before he could get a shot. Reilly Smith got so close to a chance inches from the net on the other side, but he just couldn’t get his stick on the puck. The next chance could not. be stopped.

Mark Stone was trying to find Max Pacioretty on a break, but Erik Karlsson got in the way of the pass. He found Barclay Goodrow who was able to get in all alone and beat Fleury. The game was one of the best if you ignore the whole “penalty” fiasco.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
8. Adam Henrique beats the Rangers

Henrique, it’s over. The words of Doc Emrick live on for Devils fans and show up in the nightmares of Rangers fans. These two teams met before with a chance to make the Stanley Cup Final, and that meeting is going to show up on this list later. In 2012, the Devils were a rocket that couldn’t be stopped in the Eastern Conference. They already had a walk-off win when they scored a double-overtime goal in Game 7 against the Florida Panthers. They also scored a goal in overtime of Game 6 of that series. This was kind of this team’s thing.

The New York Rangers were the President’s Trophy winners, and now that the Penguins and Flyers were knocked out, it seemed unlikely anyone could stop them from their first Stanley Cup Final since 1994.

This was a different Devils team. It was kind of like a “last hurrah” for Martin Brodeur. He turned 40 years old just days before the series started. The Devils captain Zach Parise was leaving in the offseason. Ilya Kovalchuk was a wild card and would eventually leave for Russia. There was magic within this group that only lasted for this one run.

In Game 6 of the series, both teams battled to try and gain momentum. The Devils scored two goals in the first period. The Rangers responded with two goals in the second. Brodeur and Lundqvist battled in the third period, stopping everything that came their way and forcing overtime. There, a rookie would become an icon.

Have you ever been so excited that you want to run into a wall? Adam Henrique did just that. He found the puck behind Lundqvist and put it in the net. A mob of Devils went to go hug him as the Rangers players lay on the ice to figure out what happened. The Prudential Center was coming off its foundations as they cheered their team going to the Stanley Cup Final once again.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
7. Pat Maroon beats the Stars

There was so much about the St. Louis Blues run in 2019 that was magical, but arguably nothing tops what happened in Game 7 of their second-round series with the Dallas Stars. Pat Maroon was offered more money and term from some teams in free agency, including the team he was leaving the New Jersey Devils. He so desperately wanted to play at home near his kid for one season, he took a $1.75 million contract for one season. It only made sense that he would be a hero on their run to the Stanley Cup Championship.

Game 7 was just a fight to gain ground. After both teams scored in the first period, the second period came and went with no goals. The third period, the same thing. Now we’re in overtime, but there were no goals in the first 20 minutes. Now, it’s double overtime. It has now been around one hour and ten minutes since the last goal.

There were some incredibly close calls. However, it wasn’t until 5:50 into the second overtime that Robert Thomas shot the puck on Ben Bishop. The puck floated over Bishop’s head, and Maroon skated past everyone and put the puck in the net.

Maroon was now a St. Louis hero. Jordan Binningington was a St. Louis hero. This team that was famously in last place in the NHL as early as January was now on their way to a Stanley Cup Championship. They had so many chances to lose, but the team had too much behind them, and “Gloria” was bound to play throughout the arena.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
6. Tony Leswick beats the Canadiens

There are some seasons where it’s clear which teams are meant to face each other in the end. It almost never works out that way. The last time two number-one seeds faced off in the Stanley Cup Final was 2001 when the Colorado Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils. That’s once this century that it happened. However, way back in 1954, the two best teams by far were Montreal and Detroit. They ended up facing off in the Stanley Cup Final.

Like any great series, this one was bound to go seven games. A 25-year-old Gordie Howe was looking more towards knocking players out than putting pucks in the net. He led the series with 23 PIMs. It was an NHL that would be unrecognizable today, but it was just as entertaining. This series is just as enjoyable today as it was then.

This was the last time the Stanley Cup Final went to overtime in the seventh game. It seems almost impossible. The Final has gone to Game 7 17 times since then, and never did it go to overtime. This made this series special. Montreal won Games 5 and 6 to force that Game 7. In the final game, it was a strange one. Floyd Curry scored for the Canadiens in the first period and Red Kelly scored for the Red Wings. In overtime, an absolutely bizarre goal ended the game.

It happens in a flash, and we’re not talking about top-of-the-line technology here, but checking defenseman Tony Leswick just threw a puck towards the net after it was pushed around the boards. Gerry McNeil prepares to stop it with his feet, but it deflects off his defender and into the net. The look on McNeil’s face says it all. The Red Wings would win the Stanley Cup. Notably, these two teams did not shake hands at the end of the game as the Red Wings just walked off the ice. This appears to be the earliest indication of a mic drop.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
5. Patrice Bergeron beats the Maple Leafs

There are two ways to look at pain. Some consider pain weakness leaving the body. However, for Toronto Maple Leafs fans, pain is a right of passage. Pain is what you sign up for when you agree to root for the NHL team in Canada’s top city. This series was exactly that, pain.

It takes a lot of pain for a first-round series to make it all the way into the top five of greatest series-winning goals of all time. It’s hard to think of a more painful moment for any fanbase. The Toronto Maple Leafs scored two goals in the third period to give themselves a 4-1 lead with 14 minutes left in the game. The Boston Bruins were on the ropes, and the Maple Leafs were ready to finally live up to its expectations.

Then came pain. Nathan Horton scored the first one four minutes later. That’s fine, it’s still 4-2. Less than two minutes left, and Milan Lucic scored to cut the lead to one. Seemed very unlikely a team could score two goals in the final two minutes of the game, but things were getting stressful. Less than a minute later, the unthinkable happened. Patrice Bergeron scored with 51 seconds left in the game to tie it up and force overtime.

In overtime, it didn’t get better for the Leafs. Joffrey Lupul did have a chance, and James Reimer made a few nice saves, but it was one sequence where it seemed like every Maple Leafs’ player lost track of the puck, and before they knew it, it was over.

Reimer thought it was in front of him, so he sat on the ground. Once he realized it wasn’t, all he could do was dive and try to save the Maple Leafs’ season. Bergeron was not going to miss from there, and the Bruins were alive and the Leafs, just like every other year, were dead.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
3. Bobby Orr beats the Blues

Have you ever seen a man fly? If you were in the Boston Garden on May 10th, 1970, you saw Bobby Orr fly after scoring the game-winning and series-winning goal in overtime. Maybe the impact of the goal wasn’t very significant, at least as far as Stanley Cup winners go. Orr’s goal came when the Bruins had a 3-0 series lead, so all it did was lock in the sweep.

However, this goal and the ensuing celebrations is one of the most iconic images in the history of the league. There’s a statue of Orr flying through the air in front of TD Garden to this day. This goal was as important as any goal in this era of hockey despite the argument for its importance on this singular series.

The goal came quick. It took just 40 seconds into overtime for Orr to light the lamp. The Bruins hadn’t won it all in almost three decades, so there was pent-up excitement for the Bruins fans. They were ready to bring Lord Stanley back to New England. It helps that Orr was by far the biggest star and best player in the league that season. He won the Hart, Norris, Art Ross, and Conn Smythe trophies, on top of his first Stanley Cup. Enough words about the goal. Let’s see it.

Noel Sanderson trips Orr as he puts it in the net, and he goes airborne. Honestly, based on all of the pictures and stories we’ve seen about this goal, one would imagine he was in the air for a full minute. It actually only lasts a second (pesky gravity ruining the moment). That one second and photographer Ray Lussier taking that photo made this moment iconic.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
2. Stephane Matteau beats the Devils

Matteau! Matteau! Matteau!

While the Mark Messier guarantee and ensuing hat trick might get most of the headlines from the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, the goal by Stephane Matteau made it actually matter. After Messier’s heroics, the Rangers still needed to win Game 7 in Madison Square Garden. It looked like Mike Richter was going to win via the shutout as he kept the Devils off the board for 59 minutes and 52 seconds. Unfortunately for him, every second matters in a hockey game.

Valeri Zelepukin scored the game-tying goal with eight seconds left in the game. Richter wanted a whistle, but he didn’t get it and the game was tied. Game 7 was going into overtime, and it was literally winner take all.

In the first overtime, both goalies took over. Brodeur and Richter were sensational, and we needed double overtime to find a winner. There, Matteau makes an innocent-looking play that eventually turned into history.

Matteau sweeps behind the net as Scott Niedermayer is hooking him. The play started with a failed clearing attempted, and Matteau just got the jump on Niedermayer in the race to get the puck in the corner. He got behind the net, spun around, and threw it in the one spot that Brodeur couldn’t stop it. It hit off the back of his blocker and into the net. Matteau. Matteau. Matteau. The Rangers would eventually go and win the Final, lifting the Stanley Cup for the first time in 54 years.

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
1. Patrick Kane beats the Flyers

This goal had everything. It won a franchise the Stanley Cup after going decades without a championship. It came off the stick of a superstar player. It came against a team that was just as desperate for a title. It was a crazy goal to the point that Doc Emrick didn’t even know it went in. It had one of those delayed reaction times that only comes with those unbelievable moments.

Coming into Game 6, no team had won a road matchup between the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers in the 2010 Stanley Cup Final. The Flyers already won a home game in overtime when scored his ninth goal of the postseason to tie the series at two. However, it was the next overtime goal that would live on in the history books.

Game 6 was a fun one. The Wachovia Center was rocking in the City of Brotherly Love. Flyers fans knew this was the last time they’d be able to show their respect for their boys in orange and black. They showed up in a huge way. The place nearly erupted when Scott Hartnell scored a game-tying goal with four minutes left in the game. That led to overtime. The Flyers were so close many times in putting this away. A bouncing puck landed on Giroux’s stick about a foot away from Antti Niemi, but he couldn’t put it home. A little more than three minutes later, Kane came up the boards and broke an entire arena’s heart all at once.

Can a shot be any more perfect than that? Kane found the very minute space that was allotted to him on the far side of the goal, and it came so quick he was at center ice with his gloves in the air before anyone realized the Chicago Blackhawks were Stanley Cup Champions. The moment was glorious. The goal will stand alone in history. Everything about this goal and the ensuing celebration was just great. And that’s your number one series-winning goal in NHL history.