The Flyers didn’t make the playoffs so we won’t have any games to relive, revisit or forget this April and May. However, there are a horde of Flyers playoff games that meant something, whether it was an individual player, to the team or the franchise itself. Here then is a series of games (each cherry-picked) from various eras and playoff rounds, but each game being that game in that particular round of the playoffs.
Round 1, Game 5
Rangers 5, Flyers 2 (April 15, 1986)
In the spring of 1985 the up-and-coming Flyers were in the Stanley Cup Final, hoping to get their third Stanley Cup in franchise history. Instead they were thumped, with an 8-3 thrashing in game five. To pour more salt in the wound the game was also in Edmonton thanks to the second (and last) time the NHL used a 2-3-2 host system rather than the traditional 2-2-1-1-1 format that’s been used ever since in a seven-game series. The Flyers wanted to get back there in 1986 and avenge that loss to Edmonton.
Unfortunately, the Oilers were stunned in the second round by Calgary when Oilers defenseman Steve Smith bounced the puck in off goaltender Grant Fuhr in the deciding seventh game. And even more unfortunate, the Flyers — dealt a huge blow following the death of star goaltender Pelle Lindbergh on Nov. 11, 1985 in a car accident — never even got to the second round. This despite accumulating 110 points during the regular season.
The last year the first round was a best of five was 1985-86, meaning the Flyers would host the New York Rangers in the crucial game. Whether the Flyers were looking ahead to the next round or their eventual rematch with the Oilers is anyone’s guess. What is known is the Flyers, after trouncing the Rangers 7-1 in the fourth game, simply didn’t have an answer for Rangers’ goalie John Vanbriesbrouck in game five. The Rangers’ keeper stopped 34 of 36 shots while the Flyers keeper Bob Froese stopped 22 of 25 shots. The Flyers pulled Froese with the score 3-2 for the Rangers but New York put two empty net goals in to leave the Flyers (and Flyers fans) wondering if they missed a fantastic opportunity.
“The New York Rangers played a hell of a series,” Flyers coach Mike Keenan said according to a UPI report. “We have nothing to be embarrassed about. They made the most of a short series with a hot goaltender.”
“‘Did I ever think this would happen?” asked Rangers forward Don Maloney according to a New York Times article. ”God no.” Rangers defenseman James Patrick added he would’ve thought “you were crazy” if somebody believed New York would’ve defeated the Flyers, who were 32 points ahead of the Rangers at the end of the season. It also marked the first the Rangers won a deciding game in a playoff series since 1928.
The Flyers would return to the promised land of the fourth round in 1987 but came up empty, making many wonder if a Flyers/Oilers rematch in 1986 would’ve had a different ending. Tim Kerr had scored 58 goals in 1985-86 and more importantly was healthy with three goals against the Rangers. The following year he played eight games and was still recovering from a heap of shoulder surgeries. A healthy Kerr combined with a determined, more experienced Lindbergh might have been enough for the Flyers to win it all against future legends Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey and Jari Kurri. Unfortunately fate had other plans.
