Top 25 Flyers Moments of the Quarter Century

As the Philadelphia Flyers and entire NHL celebrate their Teams of the Quarter Century, here's a supplementary look at 25 of the most memorable Flyers moments of the past quarter century. The list is arranged chronologically. Moments 14-25 are listed here.

1. Primeau ends 5-OT marathon (Game 4, 2000 ECSF)

After falling behind, two games to zero, in their 2000 Eastern Conference Semifinal series with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers earned 4-3 overtime road win in Game 3 to narrow the gap in the series. Even so, if the Flyers lost Game 4, they'd return home facing elimination.

Game 4 on March 4, 2000, did not start out well for the Flyers. Alexei Kovalev got the Penguins on the board just 2:22 into the first period. The Flyers still trailed by one goal entering the third period. Finally, John LeClair tallied on a power play to draw even at 4:47.

The game went to overtime, then a second, third, fourth and fifth. The Thursday evening game stretched into the wee hours of Friday. Finally, at 2:35 a.m., Flyers center Keith Primeau cut into the right circle.

Firing off a rising wrist shot -- the Flyers 72nd shot on goal in the marathon game -- Primeau's perfectly placed shot beat Pittsburgh netminder Ron Tugnutt over the glove to deliver a 2-1 win at 12:01 of the fifth overtime.

Winning goaltender Brian Boucher made 57 saves on 58 shots. The Flyers went on to prevail in the next two games to capture the series.

2. Boucher's mind-boggling save on Elias (Game 3, 2000 ECF)

The Flyers took a two games to one lead over the New Jersey Devils in the 2000 Eastern Conference Final with a 4-2 road victory in Game 3. Along the way, goaltender Boucher made one of the most memorable saves in franchise history to rob the Devils' Patrik Elias of a shorthanded breakaway goal.

With the Flyers leading 2-1 early in the second period, Elias gained a separation on Keith Jones through the neutral zone. Moving in on the net, Elias eluded a Boucher poke check attempt and cut left toward the post. In desperation, Boucher reached behind and spun around for a spectacular stop, losing his mask in the process.

The Flyers built a three games to one lead in the series but were unable to find an elusive clinching victory to win the Eastern Conference championship. New Jersey won both Game 6 and Game 7 by 2-1 scores.

3. Flyers Win War vs. Maple Leafs (Game 7, 2003 ECQF)

The Flyers drew the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs. What ensued was an absolute war of attrition between two evenly matched teams. Two games went double overtime (both won by the Maple Leafs) and one was decided in triple overtime (3-2 Flyers win in Game 4).

Finally, the Flyers prevailed in a Game 7 blowout, 6-1.

4. Bad blood boils over with Ottawa (March 5, 2004)

he Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators played a game at the Wells Fargo Center (then called the Wachovia Center) that made NHL history for the most combined penalty minutes in a single game (419 PIM, shattering the previous record of 406): 213 PIM to the Flyers and 206 PIM to the Senators.

There was a backstory on the explosion that happened on March 5. One week earlier, the Flyers faced off against the Senators in Ottawa. During the third period, Flyers star Mark Recchi Mark Recchi hooked Ottawa forward Martin Havlat as he crossed into the attack zone. The two players got tangled up and went into the boards. Thinking that Recchi was attempting into injure him, Havlat swung his stick at the Flyers' forward, connecting with his face.

Havlat received a match penalty and was later suspended two games by the NHL. The Flyers were not satisfied, vowing to even the score.

Lost to history: Most of the March 5 game was orderly and free of incident. Over the first two periods, there were only five penalties -- all minors -- called. It wasn't until the latter portion of the third period, with the Flyers leading 5-2 that the powder keg exploded.

With 1:45 left in the game, Flyers' enforcer Donald Brashear tangled with Ottawa counterpart Rob Ray. The exchange went in Brashear's favor, leaving Ray bloodied.

So far, nothing out of the ordinary happened. However, as Brashear was being escorted off the ice by one of the linesmen, two Senators -- Brian Pothier and Todd Simpson -- went after him. Brashear fought again.

Flyers forward Patrick Sharp moved in to restrain Simpson. That's where all hell broke loose. Simpson pushed Sharp to the ice and then started punching. Flyers defenseman Danny Markov, seeing that Sharp was in trouble, rushed in and fought Simpson. Simultaneously, Philadelphia's Branko Radivojevic and Otttawa's Shaun Van Allen paired off for a fight.

With a line brawl raging, Ottawa goalie Patrick Lalime skated the length of the ice and fought Flyers counterpart Robert Esche. Both goalies received minor penalties for leaving their crease during the altercation, fighting majors and game misconducts. Esche received a second game misconduct for not promptly leaving the ice.

Almost immediately after the next faceoff, specifically at the 18:18 mark of the faceoff, another round of fights started: Zdeno Chara picked a fight with Flyers defenseman Mattias Timander, while Ottawa's rugged Chris Neil jumped normally pacifistic checking winger Radovan Somik. The Flyers were further angered when the Senators sent Havlat to the safety of the penalty box for the rest of the game to serve out Chara's instigation minor.

Directly off the next faceoff, at 18:21, Flyers center Michal Handzus fought Mike Fisher. Both were sent to the locker rooms for fighting majors, 10-minute misconducts and game misconducts.

Things settled down, albeit very briefly. Twenty-four seconds after play resumed, at the 18:45 mark, yet another round of tussles broke loose,

Recchi delivered a hit on Ottawa defenseman Wade Redden, who immediately went after John LeClair (who was about to pick up a holding minor). Redden and LeClair had more of a short wrestling match than a full-blown fight but both got fighting majors and game misconducts. Note: This was the only fighting major LeClair received during his Flyers Hall of Fame career and one of just three in his NHL career (he had one apiece as a member of the Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins).

Meanwhile, yet another fight -- this one between Recchi and Bryan Smolinski -- broke out at center ice. The Flyers sent finesse forward Simon Gagne to the box to serve the LeClair holding penalty.

At the very next faceoff (18:47 of the third period), one final fight started. Ottawa's Jason Spezza fought Sharp. Both players joined the ranks of the players receiving game misconducts, 10-minute misconducts and fighting majors.

By now, the respective benches were very spacious places. There was hardly anyone left other than the players on the ice and penalty boxes.

The final 1:13 of the game -- other than a meaningless goal by Ottawa's Peter Bondra at 19:47, which represented a 5-3 Flyers win instead of a 5-2 victory -- passed by uneventfully.

5. Esche Outduels Legendary Brodeur (2004 ECQF)

The New Jersey Devils haunted the Flyers in the playoffs multiple times in the years between 1995 and 2012: 1995 Eastern Conference Final, 2000 Eastern Conference Final and 2012 Eastern Conference Semifinal. Often, the Flyers' had trouble solving legendary Devils goalie Martin Brodeur when the series was on the line.

Twice, however, the Flyers flipped the script: 2004 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal and 2010 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal. In 2004, Flyers goaltender Robert Esche caught fire at just the right time.

Esche outplayed Brodeur head-to-head as the Flyers prevailed in five games. In four of the five games -- all Flyers wins -- Esche limited the Devils to two of fewer goals. This included a shutout in Game Four in New Jersey and a clinching 3-1 win (31 saves on 32 shots) in Game Five.

6. Roenick Ends Toronto Series in OT (Game 6, 2004 ECSF)

The 20004 Eastern Conference Semifinal presented a rematch of the previous year's first-round classic between the Flyers and Maple Leafs. This series was also a doozy.

Game Six in particular was a heart-pounding thriller. The OT finale was some of the most exhilarating non-stop action in playoff history.The play went end-to-end in racehorse fashion, with the teams trading off scoring chances.

Flyers forward Sami Kapanen was knocked woozy by a crushing hit from Toronto's Darcy Tucker. He fell down several times. Soley on will and instinct, Kapanen crawled to the bench, where Keith Primeau reeled him in.

Mark Recchi led a 2-on-1 rush with John LeClair but was denied by goaltender Belfour. Alexei Zhamnov made an outstanding defensive play on a back check to break up a very dangerous-looking counterattack by the Maple Leafs. Finally, Jeremy Roenick scored on a beautiful shot to end the series.

In an instant, the Air Canada Centre (now Scotiabank Arena) went from cacophonous to dead silent except for the celebrating Flyers' players.

7. Primeau and Gagne OT Force Game 7 (2004 ECF)

With the major exception of his fifth OT goal against Pittsburgh back in 2000, Keith Primeau spent much of his career -- dating back to his years in Detroit -- saddled with a reputation for being an underachiever in the playoffs. In 2004, the Flyers captain flipped the script.

As the playoffs progressed, Primeau got better and better. Not even his team-leading 16 points (9g, 7a) in 18 postseason games did justice to what a force Primeau was in the 2004 playoffs. When there was a key faceoff, he won it. When there was a need for a defensive stop, he made it. If the team needed a jolt of energy, he provided it with a crunching hit. Need a clutch goal? Primeau was the Flyer most likely to score it or set it up.

In Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final against Tampa Bay, the Flyers got first period goals by Primeau and Simon Gagne and went to intermission with a 2-1 lead.

After Vincent Lecavalier tied the game at 2-2 on the first shift of the second period, Kapanen restored a one-goal edge for Philly. However, two late period goals by Fedotenko put the Bolts ahead, 4-3, entering the third period.

In the third period, the Flyers outshot Tampa by a 17-5 margin but seemed destined to go down to a series-ending defeat as time ticked below two minutes left to play.

Primeau refused to let that happen. His persistence around the net paid off as he scored on a second-effort sequence to forge a 4-4 time at 18:11.
Finally, at 18:18 of overtime, after Primeau won a battle and set up an initial chance for Roenick, Gagne scored to send the series back to Tampa Bay for Game 7.

8. Forsberg's magical shift vs. Sabres (Game 4, 2006 ECQF)

Delaying reconstructive foot surgery until the offseason, Flyers superstar center Peter Forsberg almost single-handedly kept the Flyers in their 2006 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres.

In Game One, Forsberg led the charge in a third period comeback to force overtime (Buffalo ultimately won 3-2 in double OT). When the series shifted to Philadelphia with the Flyers trailing two games to zero, Forsberg was a one-man wrecking crew.

With Game Three tied at 1-1 in the second period, Forsberg scored a pair of goals to put Philly ahead. In the third period, Forsberg set up "Deuces Wild" linemate Gagne to seal a 4-2 win.

In Game Four, the Flyers trailed 2-0 midway through the first period. That's when Forsberg staged one of the best shifts in Flyers' postseason history.

"Foppa" stickhandled and dangled around the offensive zone, behind the net, out the other side up high, then around the perimeter back to the left circle. At various junctures, he skated around all five Sabres players on the ice as they chased after him in vain. Finally, with three now-desperate Sabres coming toward him, Forsberg found a wide open Eric Desjardins.

From high in the zone, Desjardins had time to partially wind up and snap the final goal of his NHL career into the net. The Flyers' bench and the home crowd, previously all but silent, became extremely energized.

Forsberg wasn't finished. At 3:23 of the second period, Forsberg scored to knot the game at 2-2. In the third period, Nedved and Buffalo's Danny Briere traded off games to create a 3-3 deadlock. The game continued to seesaw. Finally, at 19:11, Forsberg notched what proved to be the winning goal in a 5-4 Flyers victory.

For the six-game series, Forsberg compiled eight points (4g, 4a).He did it on sheer determination and talent, as he was far less than 100 percent healthy.

9. Double hat tricks vs Pens: Lupul and Umberger (Dec. 11, 2007)

On December 11, 2007, the Flyers skated to an 8-2 romp at home against the archrival Pittsburgh Penguins. On that night, two different Philadelphia players compiled hat tricks: Joffrey Lupul and R.J. Umberger.

Lupul, who opened the game with two goals in the first 3:44 of the first period, went on to enjoy the best statistical match of his NHL career: three goals and three assists for a six-point explosion. Umberger had a five-point game with his hat trick and two assists on Lupul tallies. Mike Richards collected three assists.

Mike Knuble and defenseman Braydon Coburn rounded out the goal scoring on this night. With the Flyers holding an insurmountable lead, a series of fights broke out in the third period.

As the final buzzer sounded, the Philly crowd rose in a standing ovation. The cheers turned to vociferous booing moments later when Penguins center Sidney Crosby (two power play assists, but minus-three at 5-on-5 with one shot on goal) was announced as the official third star of the game.

Richards was second with Lupul first. The booing immediately turned back to loud cheers. Umberger was omitted from the Three Stars list despite his five-point game.

Four nights later, Lupul racked up a hat trick against the Carolina Hurricanes in a 6-5 loss. On Dec. 17, Lupul was unsurprisingly named by the NHL as one of the Three Stars of the Week.

10. Flyers Capture Series vs. Caps in OT (Game 7, 2008 ECQF)

Although his December game against Pittsburgh was the pinnacle of his regular season career as a Flyer, Joffrey Lupul's most important moment during his time in Philly came in Game 7 of the 2008 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Series against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.

On April 22, 2008, the series came down to sudden death overtime with the visiting Flyers on a power play. At 6:06, Lupul potted a Kimmo Timonen rebound to propel the Flyers into the second round of the playoffs.

11. The Biron and Umberger Show vs. Habs (2008 ECSF)

In the second round of the 2008 playoffs, the Flyers played the Montreal Canadiens. Entering the series, Montreal was favored to win. The Habs dominated the regular season series between the teams, with the Flyers going 0-4-0.

Montreal had a territorial edge in most of the games of the series. In fact, Habs coach Guy Carbonnea repeatedly insisted that the Canadiens were the better team and no lineup or systemic adjustments were needed. Ultimately, the Flyers prevailed, four games to one.

The Flyers won the series in five games for two primary reasons: 1) Martin Biron outplayed Montreal rookie goalie Carey Price and Game 4 Montreal starter Jaroslav Halak by a wide margin, and 2) Flyers forward Umberger played the best playoff series of his NHL career, racking up a staggering eight goals and nine points in the five games.

12. Final-day shootout propels Flyers into 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs (April 10, 2010)

It wasn't supposed to be this way: After acquiring superstar veteran defenseman Chris Pronger in the summer of 2009, the Flyers entered the 2009-10 season as The Hockey News' pick to win the Stanley Cup. Other pundits didn't go quite that far in their predictions but the Flyers were universally ranked among the top contenders in the Eastern Conference.

The 2009-10 regular season turned out to be a roller coaster ride for the Flyers. Things started out very well. Then the team hit a severe scoring drought and a wave of injuries. Head coach John Stevens was replaced by former Stanley Cup winning coach Peter Laviolette.

The team stabilized after Christmas. Then the club hit another snag in the latter portion of the season. Ultimately, the Flyers' fate came down to the final day of the regular season: Defeat the visiting New York Rangers and Philly would eke out a playoff spot. Lose and the Flyers would miss the playoffs.

After 65 minutes, the game was tied at 1-1. The fate of the season rested on the outcome of a shootout. Goals by Claude Giroux and Danny Briere plus two vital saves by Brian Boucher sealed the win for the Flyers. Now that they had made the playoffs, the Flyers would begin an exhilarating (but ultimately heartbreaking) run to the Stanley Cup Final.

13. Flyers Put Away Devils in Game 5 of 2010 ECQF (April 22, 2010)

During the 2009-10 regular season, the New Jersey Devils racked up 103 points. The Atlantic Division winners finished 15 points ahead of the third-place Flyers in the standings. Entering the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series, the Devils were nearly a unanimous pick among the pundits to defeat Philadelphia, with some predictors forecasting the Devils to win in five games or even via a sweep.

The Devils, after all, had long been among the Flyers' biggest playoff tormentors. New Jersey had beaten "better" Flyers teams in the 1996 and 2000 Eastern Conference Finals before Philly got a measure of revenge in the 2004 first round series between the clubs.

Consensus had it that Martin Brodeur (45-25-6, 2.24 GAA, .919 save percentage, nine shutouts) and the Devils would have a relatively easy time dispatching a Philly team that needed a shootout win on the final day to get into the playoffs.

The pundits were wrong.

The teams split the first two games in New Jersey before Philly won the next two on home ice. An overtime goal by Daniel Carcillo in Game 3 proved to be the tipping point of the series. Two goals by Jeff Carter and one apiece from Carcillo and Danny Briere sakes the Flyers to a 4-1 victory in Game 4 to propel the Flyers to a three games to one lead in the series.

The scene shifted back to New Jersey for Game 5. A first period power play goal by Briere and Claude Giroux's third and fourth goals of the series (one at even strength and one on the power play) established a 3-0 lead. Second-year NHLer Giroux, who also assisted on the Briere goal for a three-point game had begun to announce his arrival as one of the NHL's best young players (although a national columnist who was clearly unaware of the young player's pedigree described Giroux later in the 2010 playoffs as a "no-name plugger").

In goal, Brian Boucher turned away all 28 shots fired on his net, recording a shutout as the Flyers closed out the series.

14. Gagne caps ultimate playoff comeback (Game 7, 2010 ECSF)

The Flyers lost each of the first three games against the Boston Bruins in the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinal. That left Philly with no margin for error the rest of the series.

Gamely, the Flyers battled back for a 5-4 overtime win on home ice in Game 4, punctuated by a hobbling Simon Gagne tallying the deciding goal at 14:40 of OT after Philly gave up a game-tier to Boston's Mark Recchi with 32 seconds remaining in regulation. In Game 5 in Boston, Brian Boucher (injured early in the second period) and Michael Leighton combined for a 4-0 shutout. Gagne scored twice and Ville Leino and Scott Hartnell (1st goal of the playoffs before heating up in the latter half of the postseason) tallied once apiece for the Flyers.

The scene shifted back to Philadelphia for Game 6. Mike Richards and Briere combined to build a 2-0 lead.Leighton (30 saves) carried a shutout into the final minute of the third period. Milan Lucic cut the deficit to 2-1 but the Flyers held on for a one-goal victory.

Game 7 in Boston took place on May 14, 2010. The Flyers fell into a 3-0 deficit by the 14:10 mark of the first period. At 17:12 of the opening stanza, however, rookie winger James van Riemsdyk gave the Flyers a spark of momentum with his first career playoff goal. Giroux earned the lone assist.

The Flyers continued to chip away. In the second period, the line of Scott Hartnell, Briere and Leino combined to help the Flyers draw even at 3-3. Hartnell tallied at 2:49 to cut the deficit to 3-2 and Briere knotted the score at the 8:39 mark.

In the third period, the Bruins paid dearly for a too-many-men-on-the-ice infraction. Richards fired a puck at the net and Gagne potted the rebound at 12:52. From there, the Flyers proceeded to slam the door. Winning goalie Leighton finished with 22 saves on 25 shots. One of the greatest comebacks in NHL history -- recovery from a three games to zero series deficit and a 3-0 scoreboard deficit in Game 7 -- was complete.

15. Richards & Leighton Secure Trip to 2010 Cup Final (May 24, 2010)

By comparison, the Flyers five-game victory over the Montreal Canadiens in the 2010 Eastern Conference Final seemed almost anticlimactic after what happened in the second round against Boston.

Leighton notched three shutouts in the series (Game 1 in a 6-0 blowout, Game 2 in a 3-0 win, and Game 4 in another 3-0 victory). Leading three games to one, the Flyers did not waste their chance to end the series in Game 5 on May 24, 2010.

With the host Flyers trailing Montreal, 1-0, in the first period of Game 5 in their Eastern Conference Final series, Philadelphia found itself on a penalty kill.

Team captain Mike Richards was not about to fall into a defensive shell. First, he delivered a steamroller of a check at the defensive blueline to start a 3-on-2 counterattack. Receiving the puck from Claude Giroux, Richards then found trailer Braydon Coburn for a prime shorthanded scoring chance. Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak made the save.

Richards wasn't done, however. On a Flyers clear down the ice, Halak gambled by sliding way out of the net as Richards barreled toward him. They had a glancing collision, but Montreal's Roman Hamrik crashed heavily into Halak, who lost his stick as the puck slid toward the net. Richards scrambled to his feet and deposited a backhander into the empty net to tie the game at 1-1.

A trip to the Stanley Cup Final felt inevitable. It was. The Flyers went on to win the game, 4-2, and the series, four games to one.

16. Flyers Knot Cup 2010 Finals in Game 4 (June 4, 2010)

Dating back to the 1987 Stanley Cup Final, which went seven games and saw the Flyers hold a brief 1-0 lead in the deciding game, Philly has never been closer to the Cup in the last 35-plus years than they were when they tied the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals at two games apiece.

The Chicago Blackhawks won the first two games on home ice, 6-5 and 2-1. Now the Flyers were in a desperate, but familiar situation. In Game 3, Briere's 11th goal of the playoffs got the crowd rocking early, and linemates Hartnell and Ville Leino also scored as another seesaw game went to overtime, tied at 3-3. Capping his emergence as one of the NHL's fastest-rising young stars, Giroux potted an OT goal at 5:59 to narrow the series gap to two games to one.

In Game 4, the host Flyers roared out to a 3-1 lead by the first intermission on goals by Richards, Matt Carle and Giroux. Philly went on to win, 5-3, with Jeff Carter sealing the game with a late empty netter.

The Stanley Cup Finals were now tied at two games apiece and were very much up for grabs. Unfortunately for the Flyers, the Blackhawks went on to win Game 5 on home ice and then captured the Stanley Cup in overtime of Game 6 in Philadelphia.

17. Briere Buries Buffalo (Game 7, 2011 ECQF)

Over the years, Flyers fans came to expect playoff scoring heroics from Danny Briere, and he rarely disappointed.

In the 2011 playoffs, the Flyers pulled off a comeback from a three games to two deficit. First came an overtime win in Buffalo in Game 6 (Leino scored the game-winner in OT, after Briere scored twice in regulation).

In Game 7, the ice was tilted in the Flyers favor but they managed only a skinny 1-0 lead through 24 plus minutes. Finally, Briere potted a power-play goal from close range to extend the lead to two goals. He punctuated it by patting former Sabres teammate Ryan Miller on the head. The Flyers went on to build a 4-0 lead through two-plus periods and won the clinching game, 5-2.

18. Giroux's Most Famous Shift (Game 6 2012 ECQF) April 22, 2012)

Entering the 2012 playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins were virtually a unanimous pick among hockey media pundits to win the Stanley Cup. They were a juggernaut during the regular season and now had a healthy Sidney Crosby (after battling concussion-related issues for a couple of years) back atop their stacked lineup.

The Flyers, who had a war of a regular season series with the Penguins, were not about to go down meekly to the team that'd become their No. 1 rival.

Philly won each of the first three games of the series, which rapidly became one of the chippiest playoff rounds the NHL has seen in the last 25 years. The Penguins pushed back to win Games 4 and 5.

The series moved back to Philadelphia for Game 6. Not wanting to see the series shift to Pittsburgh for a Game 7, the Flyers players were challenged by head coach Peter Laviolette for each and every player to bring his A game for just that afternoon.

No one was more fired up on the Flyers side than Giroux. Before the game's opening faceoff, he told Briere to watch his first shift of the game.

Briere told him," Just don't take a bad penalty, G."

Giroux didn't. Instead, he flattened Crosby with a big hit and capped off the opening shift by scoring the game's first goal. The Wells Fargo Center crowd, already in a frenzy, went bonkers.

The Flyers went on to win, 5-1, completing the series upset. For the six-game series, Giroux racked up five goals, eight assists and 14 points.

19. Gostisbehere's rookie point streak record (Jan. 19 to Feb. 20, 2016)

The two best seasons of defenseman Shayne Gostisbere's NHL career to date came in his rookie campaign and then his third season with the Flyers. Drafted by the Flyers in the third round of the 2012 Entry Draft, Gostisbehere took the team and the league by storm as the 2015-16 regular season progressed.

Most notably, the offensive defenseman assembled a 15-game point streak that started 11 days prior to the All-Star break and resumed for nearly the first three weeks of February. During that span, Gostisbehere compiled 18 points (five goals, 13 assists).

Gostisbehere's streak set two records that currently remain unmatched: longest point streak by a rookie defenseman in NHL history and longest point streak by a Flyers rookie player (any position). On an all-time basis among all skaters, Gostisbehere's streak remains tied for the fourth-longest in NHL history with Jude Drouin (Minnesota North Stars, 1970-71).

The three NHL rookie skaters who topped 15-game point streaks: forwards Paul Stastny (20), Teemu Selanne (17), and Peter Stastny (16).

20. Simmonds Scores Two for Mr. Snider (April 9, 2016)

Entering the final home game of the 2015-16 regular season, the Flyers needed a win over the Pittsburgh Penguins to earn a playoff spot. Meanwhile, in California, the health of beloved 83-year-old Flyers co-founder, longtime majority owner and chairman Ed Snider had taken a turn for the worse.

To a man, the Flyers wanted to win the game in Snider's honor. None was more emotional than power forward Wayne Simmonds; one of the primary leaders in the locker room and someone who unabashedly wore his heart on his sleeve. On national TV, Simmonds dedicated the game to Snider.

Before the opening faceoff, Lauren Hart performed "God Bless America". She sang directly to Mr. Snider via FaceTime. After trailing early in the game, the Flyers went on to win, 3-1. Unsurprisingly, it was none other than Wayne Simmonds who scored the tying and winning goals.

"I said it earlier, and especially when we took that picture and Mr. Snider wasn't in it," Simmonds said.

"When you look in the hallway and it's the first time he's not in a picture. It sucks to see it happen. We were playing to make the playoffs for him."

21. Neuvirth Singlehandedly Extends Caps Series (2016 ECQF)

Goaltender Michal Neuvirth never lacked anything in terms of sheer talent. His issue was that he often dealt with injuries that rendered him unavailable to play for longer and longer stretches.

In the 2006 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, the Flyers found themselves in a cavernous three games to zero hole, facing elimination.Head coach Dave Hakstol handed the goaltending reins over to Neuvirth. In Game Four on home ice, Neuvirth took First Star honors by stopping 31 of 32 shots in a 2-1 victory to send the series back to Washington.

Neuvirth was just getting started. In Game 5, the Czech netminder put forth one of the best playoff performances in franchise history. The host Capitals dominated nearly the entire game, and racked up an eye-popping 44 to 11 advantage in shots on goal. Nearly the entire game was played in the Flyers' defensive zone.

A goal by fourth-line Flyers winger Ryan White gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead at 7:52 of the second period. Neuvirth did herculean work to protect the skinniest of leads. Finally, fourth-line Philadelphia center Chris VandeVelde scored into an empty net with 31 seconds left in regulation to seal an improbable 2-0 victory behind Neuvirth shutout. To no one's surprise, Neuvirth took First Star honors for the second straight game.

Coming back home for Game Six, Neuvirth did his part to force a seventh and deciding match. With the team in front of him unable to solve Washington goaltender Braden Holtby, former Caps goalie Neuvirth kept the game scoreless for nearly 29 minutes.

Finally, Washington star center Nicklas Backstrom scored an unstoppable goal at 8:59 of the second period. That would be the only puck to get past Neuvirth on 29 shots. Unfortunately, Holtby blanked the Flyers on 26 shots including 11 in the third period. The Capitals finally clinched the series with their 1-0 win.

Holtby was named Third Star, Neuvirth was Second Star and lone goal scorer Backstrom took top honors. The series loss relegated Neuvirth's play to a relic of team history. Nevertheless, it represented the best three-game stretch of sheer goaltending brilliance in a playoff series by a Flyers' goalie since Ron Hextall in the 1987 Final against the Edmonton Oilers dynasty.

22. Giroux Hat Trick Clinches Playoff Spot (April 7, 2018)

There was no formal "Player of the Decade" award issued by the Flyers for the 2010s. However, if there was such an award, Claude Giroux would have been the runaway winner.

For the third time in a decade, the Flyers entered the final home game of a regular season needing a win to get in the playoffs. Capping off a career-best 34-goal, 102-point season that deserved much more serious Hart Trophy consideration than it received on the national level, Claude Giroux was a one-man wrecking crew in the finale against the New York Rangers.

Henrik Lundqvist almost single-handedly kept the Rangers in the game for one-plus period but Giroux was relentless. He scored three times to render the latter part of the game academic, and was serenaded by chants of "M-V-P! M-V-P!" from the Wells Fargo Center crowd.

23. Stadium Series comeback victory in the rain (February 23, 2019)

Amid a heavy rainstorm, the Philadelphia Flyers found themselves trailing the Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-1, late in the third period of the 2019 Stadium Series at Lincoln Financial Field on February 23, 2019. Things looked bleak.

Suddenly, Philly rallied for a 6-on-4 power play goal and a 6-on-5 game-tier in the final 3:04 of regulation to force overtime and then won the game at 3-on-3.

Team captain Claude Giroux ended a four-game pointless spell in dramatic fashion, assisting on the first of the two late goals and then scoring the winning OT goal at 1:59 of the extra frame. Sean Couturier had a goal and an assist on the game-tying goal, while Jakub Voracek scored the severe-angle goal that forced OT and assisted on the team's other two tallies.

First, however, James van Riemsdyk's rebound power play goal got the team back within 3-2 at 16:56 of the third period.

Flyers goalie Brian Elliott, apart from a misplay on the third Penguins goal, did everything that could have been hoped for in goal. stopping 40 of 43 shots to earn the win. Penguins counterpart Matt Murray was very good in net for the Penguins until giving up a flat angle goal by Voracek in the final 20 seconds of regulation. He was then beaten by Giroux in OT after the Pens controlled most of the early puck possession. Murray finished with 33 saves on 37 shots.

Sidney Crosby opened the scoring for Pittsburgh, cashing in a Voracek turnover. Justin Schultz scored through a screen to make it 2-1 in the second period, and played 30:02 of ice time. Evgeni Malkin's shot from high in the Flyers zone went off Elliott's glove, popped high in the air and then bounced in off the back of Elliott's skate.

Malkin later allowed himself to get goaded into a cross-checking battle with Flyers' defenseman Robert Hägg at 14:51 of the third period, getting taken off the ice for two minutes and creating a 4-on-4, which became a Flyers power play after a Matt Cullen slashing penalty. That set the comeback wheels in motion for the Flyers on the JVR goal.

After the game, the Flyers players embraced longtime teammate Wayne Simmonds. The next day, the fan favorite power forward was traded to the Nashville Predators at the NHL trade deadline.

24. Flyers earn third 2020 series OT win (Game 6, 2020 ECSF)

Under the direction of new head coach Alain Vigneault, the Flyers surged during the 2019-20 regular season. Unfortunately, the onset of the Covid pandemic abruptly ended the regular season in March 2020 and caused the postponement of the Stanley Cup playofs until late in the summer.

When the postseason began in the "bubble" in Toronto, the Flyers prevailed in a round-robin format to enter the Stanley Cup playoffs as the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Philly defeated the Montreal Canadiens in a hard-fought Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series.

The Flyers drew the New York Islanders in the Eastern Conference Semifinal. The series that was as bizarre as the circumstances and sterile-by-design atmosphere of the series played in Scotiabank Arena in late August and early September with no spectators in the stands.

During the series, the Flyers lost Game One (4-0), Game Three (3-2) and Game Four (3-2) to fall behind three games to one. Only a 4-3 overtime victory in Game Two, capped off by a goal from defenseman Philippe Myers, averted a sweep.

Facing elimination in Game Five, the Flyers were unable to preserve a 3-1 lead they took into the final five minutes of the third period. Goals by New York's Brock Nelson and Derick Brassard sent the game to overtime. Fortunately for the Flyers, Scott Laughton's tally at 12:20 of sudden death set up a sixth game in the series.

Once again facing elimination, the Flyers played from ahead in Game Six only to see leads of 2-0 and 3-2 evaporate. Now trailing 3-2 in the third period, Giroux set up a Laughton goal at 9:53.

For the third time in the series, the Flyers needed to win in sudden death. This time, the contest went to double overtime. Finally, at 15:03 of the second OT, defenseman Ivan Provorov forced a seventh and deciding game.

With a chance to advance to the Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Flyers controlled the early minutes of Game 7. However, the tide turned midway through the period as unlikely goal scorers Scott Mayfield and Andy Greene established a 2-0 lead for the Islanders.

Drained of energy from the massive effort required to pull out Games Five and Six, the Flyers ran out of steam. New York prevailed to end the series the same way it began: a 4-0 shutout.

25. Giroux's final Flyers game (March 17, 2022)

Trailing only the iconic Bobby Clarke in games played and points on the all-time franchise leaderboard, Claude Giroux concluded the Flyers portion of his career with exactly 1,000 regular season games played and exactly 900 accumulated regular season points.

On the night of March 17, 2022, the Flyers took on the Nashville Predators at Wells Fargo Center. It was a bittersweet night.

On the positive side, Giroux's 1,000th game as a Flyer gave the fans an opportunity to celebrate their longtime captain's accomplishments over the span of his Philadelphia career. It was already well-known that impending free agent Giroux would be traded by the upcoming NHL trade deadline. This would be his final game as a Flyer.

The Flyers won the game, 5-4, on a late third period tally by Joel Farabee. However, the Flyers biggest star of the night -- and the last quarter century of team history -- was Number 28.