Flyers Not Strangers to Game 7 Defeat: Top (Bottom) 4 Countdown
By Colin Newby
While the Philadelphia Flyers did not qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year, the Philadelphia 76ers entered the NBA Playoffs with high aspirations as the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
The two Wells Fargo Center counterparts are now in the same boat, as Joel Embiid and the Sixers suffered a devastating Game 7 loss to Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night.
The Flyers are certainly not strangers to heartbreaking playoff losses. They still own an overall winning record at 9-8 in Game 7 matchups, but the losses have been among the worst in franchise history.
4. 2020 Eastern Conference Semifinals- New York Islanders 4, Philadelphia Flyers 0
The wounds are still raw.
The Orange and Black fought hard after falling down to a 3-1 series deficit against the New York Islanders in the Toronto bubble last season. They rode overtime winners in all three victories to a decisive Game 7 despite the fact that they were outplayed for the majority of the series.
Their Game 7 effort was as dull as anyone could have expected. The Islanders scored just over nine minutes into the first period, and they methodically trounced the Flyers in a shutout victory. Stars Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, and Jakub Voracek are still left to wonder if they can ever make a deep playoff run as the team’s core veterans.
3. 1987 Stanley Cup Finals- Edmonton Oilers 3, Philadelphia Flyers 1
The 1987 Flyers rode rookie goaltender Ron Hextall to the Stanley Cup Finals. They faced an Edmonton Oilers team with arguably the best collection of talent in NHL history. Hextall desperately fought to contain superstars Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, and Jari Kurri, and the Flyers pushed the series to the brink with a remarkable Game 6 comeback.
However, the collection of future Hall of Famers proved to be too much when the Flyers fell 3-1 in Game 7. Hextall was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. He was the second Flyer ever to win the award in a losing effort, joining 1976 Conn Smythe winner Reggie Leach.
2. 2020 Eastern Conference Finals- Tampa Bay Lightning 2, Philadelphia Flyers 1
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The Flyers looked like true Stanley Cup contenders during an exhilarating run through the 2004 Playoffs. They were stifled by the brilliant finesse play of the upstart Tampa Bay Lightning in the Conference Finals. After a dramatic Game 6 comeback win, they lost 2-1 in Tampa in Game 7.
1. New Jersey Devils 2, Philadelphia Flyers 1
The Flyers looked primed to return to the Stanley Cup Finals when they jumped out to a 3-1 series lead against the arch-nemesis New Jersey Devils. However, two consecutive losses forced them into a Game 7 at home. A raucous crowd was not enough to carry the Flyers to victory, as a game winner late in the third period by former Devils winger Patrick Elias stunned the Philadelphia crowd.
This game will always be remembered for the infamously punishing check thrown by former Devils defenseman Scott Stevens that ended the Flyers career of prized center Eric Lindros.