What’s the record for most empty net goals in one game?
The answer: Too many.
Related question: What was the single dumbest day of empty net action in NHL history?
That would be April 5, 1970, the final day of the 1969-70 season. The Rangers and Canadiens went into that day fighting for the final playoff spot in the East Division, with New York having stumbled down the stretch and on the verge of coughing up what had seemed like a sure thing only a week or two earlier.
With each team set to play their final game, Montreal held a two-point lead. More importantly, they also held the tiebreaker, which back then was goals scored. (Yes, goals scored, not goals differential. This turns out to be important.) Montreal was up by five in that category, meaning the Rangers’ only hope was for three things to happen that day: they win, Montreal loses and they outscore the Habs by at least five.
Not great odds, but the good news was that they were playing the Red Wings, who didn’t have much to play for. The Rangers came out flying, scoring four in the first period and three in the second to take a 7-3 lead. Chasing even more offense, Rangers coach Emile Francis started pulling his goalie late in the third, even though his team was winning. It made sense — remember, he didn’t care how many goals he gave up as long as they won — but it led to Howe and Libett getting those two late empty net goals in a losing cause. The Rangers ended up winning 9-5.
The Montreal game was later in the day, and they were facing a Hawks team that did have something to play for. Still, the Habs had two doors into the playoffs: win by any score, or lose while scoring at least five goals. That second door seemed to close early in the third when Chicago took a 5-2 lead, so Montreal coach Claude Ruel started pulling his goalie midway through the third in a desperate attempt to get his team some goals. The result: a ridiculous five empty net goals for the Hawks, a single-game record that will almost certainly never be broken. The Habs lost 10-2.
This is why we don’t use goals scored as a tiebreaker anymore, in case anyone was wondering.
Bonus weird fact: This was the only time the Canadiens missed the playoffs in the 47 years between 1948 and 1995.