#philesposito

boston garden 12/17/1974

boston bruins vs atlanta flames

On November 14, 1971, the Boston Bruins absolutely steamrolled the Los Angeles Kings at Boston Garden in an 11-2 demolition.

It didn’t look that way at first, Eddie Joyal gave the Kings an early lead just over two minutes in. But after that? Total Bruins takeover.

Bobby Orr put on a clinic, piling up SIX points with a hat trick and three assists. He was everywhere: setting up plays, driving offense, and capping it off with a third-period goal to seal the rout.

Phil Esposito added five points (2G, 3A), while Ed Westfall chipped in four (1G, 3A). The Bruins just kept coming in waves.

Tough night for Gary Edwards, who stayed in net for all 60 minutes facing a relentless Boston attack.

📅 December 14, 1972 At Boston Garden, Phil Esposito fired 15 shots on Gilles Villemure. He didn’t score on any of them.

The Bruins still won 4-2, but Villemure turned away every Esposito attempt, setting an NHL record for most shots without a goal.

✅ Ray Bourque holds the overall record with 19 shots in a game (1991). ✅ Alex Ovechkin matched Espo’s 15 in 2015.

Esposito wasn’t held off the scoresheet entirely, he picked up two assists on Wayne Cashman’s goals, both also set up by Bobby Orr. The trio combined for 29 shots, more than half of Boston’s total.

The Rangers got goals from Gene Carr and Jean Ratelle, but Boston sealed it with Fred O’Donnell’s game-winner.

In 1968-69, the NHL witnessed a scoring revolution. Phil Esposito, Bobby Hull, and Gordie Howe each became the first players to record 100+ points in a season, all in the same year. Esposito was first on March 2, Hull followed on March 20, and Howe rounded it out on March 30. They finished the season with Esposito (126), Hull (107), and Howe (103) dominating the league.