The Philadelphia Flyers were founded in 1967, and it didn’t take them long to make their mark in the NHL, winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975. While they haven’t hoisted the Cup since, they have won several conference championships, and yes, the Flyers have also given fans some exciting winning streaks.
So when did their longest winning streak occur, and how dominant was it? Philadelphia was one of the NHL’s better teams in the mid-1980s, winning a pair of conference championships in 1985 and 1987. Sandwiched between those two unforgettable seasons was an unforgettable winning streak that occurred in 1985-86.
On October 19th, 1985, the Flyers embarked on their 13-game run with a blowout 7-3 win over the Minnesota North Stars. The streak continued until November 17th, when Philadelphia got the best of the New York Islanders by a score of 5-4.
Flyers 13-game winning streak in 1985 remains one of the longest in NHL history
Through the 2023-24 season, Philadelphia’s 13-game winning streak remains tied for the eighth-longest in league history. It ranked seventh before the start of 2023-24, but an epic 16-game stretch from the Edmonton Oilers knocked them, the 1970-71 Boston Bruins, the 2000-01 New Jersey Devils, the 2021-22 Florida Panthers, and the 2022-23 New Jersey Devils back one notch.
Overall, Philadelphia enjoyed an epic run, scoring at least five goals in 12 of their 13 wins, including games with five goals or more for the final 10 contests of the streak. While the Flyers could not beat the Islanders on November 19th in a game that ended the run, they still put up an incredible six goals, but could not match the eight New York scored.
Philadelphia’s streak set the foundation for what was a 110-point season and a first-place finish in the Patrick Division. Their 335 goals scored ranked fourth in the league, and they were also first in goals against with 241.
(Statistics and data provided by Hockey-Reference)