Avalanche and Penguins set to accomplish rare feat 

When the Colorado Avalanche and Pittsburgh Penguins take the ice on Thursday night, they'll do something not seen in the NHL in nearly a half-century. 

Between the Avalanche and Penguins, six players who've scored Stanley Cup-clinching goals will take the ice, the most in an NHL contest since 1978, per OptaStats. 

The Avalanche feature two players who've tallied the series winner in the Final: Artturi Lehkonen with Colorado in 2022 and Ross Colton, who helped seal the title for the Tampa Bay Lighting in 2021. 

Meanwhile, the Pens have the remaining four: Patric Hornqvist (2017) and Kris Letang (2016) did while wearing Pittsburgh sweaters, and Lars Eller (2018) and Jeff Carter (2012) while representing the Washington Capitals and Los Angeles Kings, respectively.  

The last time six players with the same milestone on their resumes played in the same game, the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-2 on Oct. 15, 1978. 

The Canadiens and Flyers had won the last six Cups between them. So, finding a player who'd scored a clincher in the Final wasn't hard. For the Habs, four players accomplished the feat: Mario Tremblay (1978), Jacques Lemaire (1977), Guy Lafleur (1976) and Yvan Cournoyer (1973). The Flyers boasted Bob Kelly (1975) and Rick MacLeish (1974), who'd secured back-to-back Cup wins for Philly, the only two in the franchise's history. 

As for Thursday's game, it doesn't have quite the same gusto. 

The Avs are off to a red-hot start as one of only three remaining undefeated teams (6-0-0), joining the Boston Bruins (6-0-0) and the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights (7-0-0). Meanwhile, the Penguins are off to a sluggish start, owners of the worst record in the East (2-4-0).