Landon Slaggert made history for the Blackhawks with the fastest goal to start a game in team history.
Slaggert scored just seven seconds into Chicago’s game against the Panthers on Saturday afternoon, setting a new record for the Blackhawks, according to the NHL record book.
“That’s pretty wild,” Slaggert said.
The previous record was held by Brent Sutter, who scored eight seconds into a 9-4 win over Vancouver on February 5, 1995.
“I was just focused on getting some pressure on their defensemen,” Slaggert explained. “The puck kind of just squirted to an area, and I saw I could get to it first. I just caught a break, and it worked out.”
That goal was Chicago’s only highlight of the game, as Florida went on to win 5-1.
“It’s never a good feeling,” said Florida’s Carter Verhaeghe about allowing such a quick goal. “But we just reset and played the rest of the game like normal.”
Slaggert’s goal became the fastest to start a game in the NHL this season, beating a nine-second goal by Robert Thomas of St. Louis against New Jersey on November 27.
Ryan Donato won the opening faceoff and passed the puck into Florida’s zone. Slaggert, playing in only his third game of the season, skated past two Panthers defenders, picked up the puck, and scored with a backhander against Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.
It was the fastest goal allowed at the start of a game in Florida’s history, coming three seconds quicker than Mike Knuble’s goal for Boston against the Panthers on February 14, 2003. Donato quickly realized that the goal might be something special for Chicago.
“He was saying in the little pile there that it might be the fastest,” Slaggert said. “It’s kind of funny to hear.”
Slaggert’s goal ranks as the eighth-fastest in NHL history. Only seven regular-season goals have been scored more quickly. The most recent was a goal scored six seconds into a game by Vancouver’s Alexandre Burrows during a 5-2 loss to Detroit on March 16, 2013.
There have been four goals scored five seconds into games: Merlyn Phillips (Montreal Maroons, Dec. 29, 1926), Doug Smail (Winnipeg Jets, Dec. 20, 1981), Bryan Trottier (New York Islanders, March 22, 1984), and Alexander Mogilny (Buffalo Sabres, Dec. 21, 1991).
There have also been three goals scored six seconds into a game, including one by Burrows, Henry Boucha (Detroit Red Wings, Jan. 28, 1973), and Jean Pronovost (Pittsburgh Penguins, March 25, 1976).
Slaggert’s goal is the eighth ever scored at the seven-second mark, according to the NHL.
