1986–87 Philadelphia Flyers season
| 1986–87 Philadelphia Flyers | |
|---|---|
|
Wales Conference champions
|
|
|
Patrick Division champions
|
|
| Division | 1st Patrick |
| Conference | 1st Wales |
| 1986–87 record | 46–26–8 |
| Home record | 29–9–2 |
| Road record | 17–17–6 |
| Goals for | 310 (4th) |
| Goals against | 245 (2nd) |
| Team information | |
| President | Jay Snider |
| General Manager | Bob Clarke |
| Coach | Mike Keenan |
| Assistant Coach |
Bill Barber Paul Holmgren E. J. McGuire |
| Captain | Dave Poulin |
| Alternate captains |
Mark Howe Brad Marsh |
| Arena | Spectrum |
| Average attendance | 17,212 |
| Minor league affiliate(s) |
Hershey Bears Kalamazoo Wings |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Tim Kerr (58) |
| Assists | Dave Poulin (45) |
| Points | Tim Kerr (95) |
| Penalties in minutes | (288) |
| Plus/minus | Mark Howe (+57) |
| Wins | Ron Hextall (37) |
| Goals against average | Bob Froese (2.67) |
The 1986–87 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' 20th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers reached the Stanley Cup Finals but lost to the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.
With the previous Spring's upset loss to the Rangers fresh on their minds, the Flyers got off to a 6–0–0 start to the season, and only lost road games to the Islanders and Penguins in an 8–2–0 October.
Goaltender Ron Hextall made his professional debut on opening night, October 9, and held Edmonton to one goal in a 2–1 victory, and only improved from there, being named NHL Rookie of the Month for October and November.
Things began to click for the club as a whole in November as Brad McCrimmon returned from his suspension over a contract dispute and the emergence of Hextall forced Bob Froese into a back-up role. In the first two months of the season, only the Penguins challenged the Flyers' grip on the top spot in the division, actually starting the year 7–0–0 and topping Philly on October 25 but fading by the end of November.
Brian Propp scored four goals in a 7–1 win over St. Louis on December 2, but three games later he was lost for two months after suffering a serious knee injury against the Oilers. Froese was dealt to the New York Rangers for Kjell Samuelsson on December 18 and later that same night routing the Islanders 9–4 which saw Poulin and Kerr record three-goal games. The record reached 25–7–2 on December 21 after a 7–6 comeback win over the Blues, but during the next game in Buffalo, Ilkka Sinisalo went down with a knee injury and the team lost four in a row on a holiday road trip (Sabres, Canucks, Oilers, Kings).
A seven-game unbeaten streak in January put the Flyers at 31–11–3, three points ahead of the Oilers for best record in the NHL, but injuries began to put a strain on the ranks. With Propp, Sinisalo, Mark Howe, and Ron Sutter all suffering through long-term problems, plus minor injuries cropping up, the team sputtered late, going 15–15–5 over the remainder of the schedule.
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