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List of players with five or more goals in an NHL game facts for kids

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JoeMaloneTigers192021
Joe Malone, the first player to score five goals in an NHL game, and the only player to score seven goals in a game.
Tage Thompson 2017-10-04
Tage Thompson, the most recent player to score five goals in an NHL game, did it on December 7, 2022.

This article lists the amazing hockey players who have scored five or more goals in a single National Hockey League (NHL) game. Scoring five or more goals in one game is a very rare and special achievement. It has only happened 64 times in the entire history of the league, with 48 different players achieving this feat.

The very first player to score five goals in an NHL game was Joe Malone. He did this for the Montreal Canadiens on December 19, 1917, during the first-ever NHL game. More recently, Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres scored five goals on December 7, 2022, in the 105th NHL season.

Joe Malone holds the record for the most five-goal games, with five in total! This includes the NHL record of seven goals in one game, plus a six-goal game and three five-goal games. All of these incredible performances happened in the NHL's first three seasons. Malone is also the only player to score five goals for more than one team. He did it three times with the Montreal Canadiens and twice with the Quebec Bulldogs.

Seven different players have scored six goals in a single game. This even includes brothers Corb and Cy Denneny, who each scored six goals for different teams within weeks of each other in 1921. While players still score five goals from time to time, no one has scored six or more goals since Darryl Sittler did it in February 1976.

Only eight players have scored five or more goals in multiple games. After Joe Malone's five times, both Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux each did it four times. Newsy Lalonde achieved it three times, and four other players did it twice. Malone and Sittler are the only players to score five goals multiple times in a single season. Gretzky and Maurice Richard also had two five-goal games in the same calendar year, but across two different NHL seasons.

Ian Turnbull is the only defenseman (a player who usually focuses on defense) to score five goals in a game. He did this in February 1977. Mario Lemieux is the only player in history to score five goals in five different ways in one game! 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. Wayne Gretzky's second five-goal game, in December 1981, was also special because it marked his achievement of the NHL's fastest 50 goals in 50 games, reaching 50 goals in just his 39th game of the season.

Out of all the five-goal games, five of them happened during playoff games. The Montreal Canadiens have had the most players (9) and the most total five-goal games (14) in their history. The Toronto St. Patricks/Toronto Maple Leafs are second, with 7 players scoring five goals on 9 occasions.

Five players have scored 5 goals in playoff games: Newsy Lalonde in 1919, Maurice Richard in 1944, Darryl Sittler and Reggie Leach in 1976, and Mario Lemieux in 1989.

Alexei Zhamnov is the only player on this list whose team did not win the game; his team, the Winnipeg Jets, tied 7–7 with the Los Angeles Kings. Sergei Fedorov is the only player to score all five of his team's goals in a game that went into overtime in the regular season. Maurice Richard scored all five goals when the Canadiens beat Toronto 5-1 in the 1944 playoffs.

Scorers

E Lalonde
Newsy Lalonde, the first player to score six goals in an NHL game, also had two other five-goal games.
Wgretz edit2
Wayne Gretzky, the NHL's all-time leading scorer, had four five-goal games.
Mario Lemieux 2001
Mario Lemieux recorded four five-goal games.
Sergei Fedorov (2894208988)
Sergei Fedorov scored all of the Red Wings' goals in a 5-4 overtime win against the Washington Capitals.
122007-WildXcel-Gaborik5goalperformance2
Marian Gaborik, after scoring his fifth goal on December 20, 2007 – the 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 Malone, JoeJoe Malone Montreal Canadiens December 19, 1917 5
Canada Hyland, HarryHarry Hyland Montreal Wanderers December 19, 1917 5
Canada Malone, JoeJoe Malone Montreal Canadiens January 12, 1918 5
Canada Malone, JoeJoe Malone Montreal Canadiens February 2, 1918 5
Canada Lalonde, NewsyNewsy Lalonde Montreal Canadiens March 1, 1919 5
Canada Lalonde, NewsyNewsy Lalonde Montreal Canadiens January 10, 1920 6
Canada Malone, JoeJoe Malone Quebec Bulldogs January 31, 1920 7
Canada Roach, MickeyMickey Roach Toronto St. Pats March 6, 1920 5
Canada Malone, JoeJoe Malone Quebec Bulldogs March 10, 1920 6
Canada Denneny, CorbCorb Denneny Toronto St. Pats January 26, 1921 6
Canada Lalonde, NewsyNewsy Lalonde Montreal Canadiens February 16, 1921 5
Canada Denneny, CyCy Denneny Ottawa Senators March 7, 1921 6
Canada Dye, BabeBabe Dye Toronto St. Pats December 16, 1922 5
Canada Green, RedRed Green Hamilton Tigers December 5, 1924 5
Canada Dye, BabeBabe Dye Toronto St. Pats December 22, 1924 5
Canada Broadbent, PunchPunch Broadbent Montreal Maroons January 7, 1925 5
Canada Lepine, PitPit Lepine Montreal Canadiens December 14, 1929 5
Canada Morenz, HowieHowie Morenz Montreal Canadiens March 18, 1930 5
Canada Conacher, CharlieCharlie Conacher Toronto Maple Leafs January 19, 1932 5
Canada Getliffe, RayRay Getliffe Montreal Canadiens February 6, 1943 5
Canada Howe, SydSyd Howe Detroit Red Wings February 3, 1944 6
Canada Richard, MauriceMaurice Richard Montreal Canadiens March 23, 1944 5
Canada Richard, MauriceMaurice Richard Montreal Canadiens December 28, 1944 5
Canada Meeker, HowieHowie Meeker Toronto Maple Leafs January 8, 1947 5
Canada Geoffrion, BernieBernie Geoffrion Montreal Canadiens February 19, 1955 5
Canada Rousseau, BobbyBobby Rousseau Montreal Canadiens February 1, 1964 5
Canada Berenson, RedRed Berenson St. Louis Blues November 7, 1968 6
Canada Cournoyer, YvanYvan Cournoyer Montreal Canadiens February 15, 1975 5
Canada Sittler, DarrylDarryl Sittler Toronto Maple Leafs February 7, 1976 6
Canada Sittler, DarrylDarryl Sittler Toronto Maple Leafs April 22, 1976 5
Canada Leach, ReggieReggie Leach Philadelphia Flyers May 6, 1976 5
Canada Murdoch, DonDon Murdoch New York Rangers October 12, 1976 5
Canada Turnbull, IanIan Turnbull (D) Toronto Maple Leafs February 2, 1977 5
Canada Trottier, BryanBryan Trottier New York Islanders December 23, 1978 5
Canada Young, TimTim Young Minnesota North Stars January 15, 1979 5
Canada Tonelli, JohnJohn Tonelli New York Islanders January 6, 1981 5
Canada Gretzky, WayneWayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers February 18, 1981 5
Canada Gretzky, WayneWayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers December 30, 1981 5
Canada Mulvey, GrantGrant Mulvey Chicago Black Hawks February 3, 1982 5
Canada Trottier, BryanBryan Trottier New York Islanders February 13, 1982 5
Sweden Lindstrom, WillyWilly Lindstrom Winnipeg Jets March 2, 1982 5
United States Pavelich, MarkMark Pavelich New York Rangers February 23, 1983 5
Finland Kurri, JariJari Kurri Edmonton Oilers November 19, 1983 5
Sweden Gustafsson, Bengt-AkeBengt-Ake Gustafsson Washington Capitals January 8, 1984 5
Canada Hughes, PatPat Hughes Edmonton Oilers February 3, 1984 5
Canada Gretzky, WayneWayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers December 15, 1984 5
Canada Andreychuk, DaveDave Andreychuk Buffalo Sabres February 6, 1986 5
Canada Gretzky, WayneWayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers December 6, 1987 5
Canada Lemieux, MarioMario Lemieux Pittsburgh Penguins December 31, 1988 5
Canada Nieuwendyk, JoeJoe Nieuwendyk Calgary Flames January 11, 1989 5
Canada Lemieux, MarioMario Lemieux Pittsburgh Penguins April 25, 1989 5
Sweden Sundin, MatsMats Sundin Quebec Nordiques March 5, 1992 5
Canada Lemieux, MarioMario Lemieux Pittsburgh Penguins April 9, 1993 5
Slovakia Bondra, PeterPeter Bondra Washington Capitals February 5, 1994 5
Canada Ricci, MikeMike Ricci Quebec Nordiques February 17, 1994 5
Russia Zhamnov, AlexeiAlexei Zhamnov Winnipeg Jets April 1, 1995 5
Canada Lemieux, MarioMario Lemieux Pittsburgh Penguins March 26, 1996 5
Russia Fedorov, SergeiSergei Fedorov Detroit Red Wings December 26, 1996 5
Slovakia Gaborik, MarianMarian Gaborik Minnesota Wild December 20, 2007 5
Sweden Franzen, JohanJohan Franzen Detroit Red Wings February 2, 2011 5
Finland Laine, PatrikPatrik Laine Winnipeg Jets November 24, 2018 5
Sweden Zibanejad, MikaMika Zibanejad New York Rangers March 5, 2020 5
Switzerland Meier, TimoTimo Meier San Jose Sharks January 17, 2022 5
United States Thompson, TageTage Thompson Buffalo Sabres December 7, 2022 5

Players Who Scored Five or More Goals in Multiple Games

Name Nationality Total
Malone, JoeJoe Malone  Canada 5
Gretzky, WayneWayne Gretzky  Canada 4
Lemieux, MarioMario Lemieux  Canada 4
Lalonde, NewsyNewsy Lalonde  Canada 3
Dye, BabeBabe Dye  Canada 2
Richard, MauriceMaurice Richard  Canada 2
Sittler, DarrylDarryl Sittler  Canada 2
Trottier, BryanBryan Trottier  Canada 2
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