The Pittsburgh Penguins did something pretty memorable Sunday afternoon only to be upstaged a few hours later by the most shocking Oscars ceremony of all-time. Before Will Smith and “the slap” stole the headlines, the Pens had the hockey world buzzing when they dropped 11: yes, 11 goals on the Detroit Red Wings.
How impressive was the feat? Here’s a quick breakdown of some noteworthy factoids.
– The Penguins became the first team of the salary-cap era to score 11 goals in a game and the first in more than 19 years. The last team to score 11 was the 2002-03 Washington Capitals, who beat the Florida Panthers 12-2 in January 2003.
– The Penguins hit their highest goal total in a game since 1993. Their franchise record for goals in a game is 12, accomplished in 1975 and 1991.
– Factoring in other eras, scoring 11 goals isn’t as rare as one may believe. The 2021-22 Pens are the 157th team to score 11 times in one game. That said, most of the astronomical single-game goal totals came from bygone eras such as the high-flying 1980s or the early 1970s, when expansion produced massive talent discrepancies between clubs. The 2021-22 Pens are just the third team this century to score 11 or more times in a game, joining the aforementioned Capitals and the 2001-02 Ottawa Senators. They are the only 11-goal clubs of the past 26 years.
– 16 different Penguins — out of 18 skaters — recorded one or more points in Sunday’s game, which is a franchise record.
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