The 15 Worst Shutout Defeats in NHL History (2024)

The New York Islanders were recently shut out by the Philadelphia Flyers, 7-0, at the Nassau Coliseum. It was the worst home shutout loss in Islanders history.

But this was nowhere near the worst shutout loss in NHL history. There have been some very one-sided games in NHL history and here is a look at some of the worst.

Here are the 15 biggest shutouts in the history of the league. When games were tied in margin of victory, I put them in chronological order with the older game listed lower on the list. Feel free to add any games I may have missed.

With one exception, these are regular-season games where the loser fails to score a goal and the winner goes crazy and puts lots of pucks in the net.

The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 in Game 1 of the 1944 Stanley Cup semifinals, but then lost the next four games of the series.

Game 5 was the clincher and the ultimate embarrassment for the Leafs who fell to the Habs 11-0. Bill Durnan had only two shutouts during the regular season, but he earned his only shutout of the 1944 playoffs in this contest.

Toe Blake scored twice for the Canadiens who went on to win the Stanley Cup that season, sweeping Chicago in four games in the Stanley Cup Final.

This season was Rocket Richard's first full year in the NHL and his first of eight Stanley Cup titles won during his playing career.

Turk Broda was between the pipes on November 30, 1946, when the Maple Leafs blanked the Blackhawks, 11-0, at the Maple Leaf Gardens.

The Leafs finished second in the NHL standings that year, but won the Stanley Cup under the leadership of coach "Hap" Day.

The Blackhawks finished the season dead last in the standings and gave up more goals than any other team in the league that year. In fact, Chicago allowed 274 goals that season, 81 more than their nearest competitor.

Bill Ezinicki had a hat trick to lead the Toronto attack.

This was a bizarre game at the Maple Leaf Gardens.

Boston got a pair of hat tricks in this game, one from Andy Hebenton (who also had had an assist) and another from Dean Prentice (who added three helpers on the night).

The Maple Leafs actually outshot the Bruins in this game 34-30. In the first period, the Bruins scored six goals in just seven shots on Toronto goalie Don Simmons.

Ed Johnston made 34 saves to earn the shutout for the Bruins.

The Maple Leafs didn't make the playoffs in 1972-73, but for one night, they were a dominant team as they crushed the visiting California Golden Seals, 11-0.

Jacques Plante started in goal for the Leafs, but it was such a blowout, he didn't even bother to finish it. Ron Low finished the game for Toronto. The two goalies shared the shutout.

Rick Kehoe had a hat trick to pace the Toronto attack on a night the Seals just failed to show up.

The 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens were one of the greatest hockey teams every assembled. They finished the season with an incredible 60-8-12 record and outscored opponents 387-171.

On April 2, 1977, the Habs trounced the visiting Washington Capitals 11-0 at the Forum in Montreal. Guy LaFleur and Bob Gainey each had a goal and three assists while Steve Shutt and Guy Lapointe scored two goals each.

Ken Dryden earned the shutout for the Canadiens.

The win extended the Habs home unbeaten streak to an NHL-record 34 games. They finished the season with a 33-1-6 record at home. Their only home loss came on October 30, 1976, against the Bruins.

The Canadiens won their second of four straight Stanley Cups that season.

The Flyers and Penguins have one of the top rivalries in hockey, but the "Battle of Pennsylvania" was one-sided on October 20, 1977. The Flyers crushed the Penguins, 11-0, at the Spectrum in Philadelphia.

Bernie Parent made 20 saves to earn the shutout, while the Flyers took 54 shots against Penguins goalie Dunc Wilson.

Reggie Leach and Bill Barber each scored twice for the Flyers, while Bobby Clarke had a goal and three assists to pace the Philadelphia attack.

The Colorado Rockies final road hockey game was played on April Fool's Day of 1982 in Calgary, and the result was a disaster for the Rockies: an 11-0 loss to the Flames.

Pat Riggin only had to make 18 saves to earn the shutout. Lanny McDonald had a hat trick while Guy Chouinard scored a goal and added four assists for the Flames. Calgary scored six times in the opening period and never looked back.

Chico Resch started in net for the Rockies, but was relieved by Phil Myre when the game got out of hand.

The Rockies played only one more game in Denver, a 3-1 win over Calgary just two days later. Then they were off to New Jersey where they became the Devils.

Wayne Gretzky was out of the lineup with a bruised right shoulder, and the Hartford Whalers took full advantage, crushing the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, 11-0, at the Hartford Civic Center.

Ron Francis scored four goals for Hartford while Greg Malone added thee more. Tony Currie had four assists in the game while Bob Crawford added three helpers.

Whalers goalie Greg Millen made 28 saves to earn the shutout.

The 11 goals scored was the most in Whalers history, and the 11 goals allowed was the most the Oilers gave up in an NHL game up until that point.

The Flames and Canucks were Smythe Division rivals in 1992 when the Canucks scored a big 11-0 win in Vancouver.

Six of the Vancouver goals came on the power play.

The Flames outshot the Canucks, 30-28, but couldn't beat goalie Kirk McLean.

Trevor Linden, Garry Valk and Sergio Momesso each scored twice for Vancouver. Momesso had a Gordie Howe hat trick, picking up a pair of assists and dropping the gloves with Ronnie Stern of the Flames in the first period.

The game was a physical one with several fights breaking out in the first period and again late in the game when the Flames tried to take out their frustrations on the Canucks.

The 11 goals tied a franchise record for Vancouver.

The Original Six teams were far ahead of their expansion brethren in the late 1960s just after the NHL doubled in size.

The Blackhawks manhandled the Philadelphia Flyers, 12-0, at the Spectrum in Philadelphia on January 30, 1969—the Flyers second season in the NHL.

Jim Pappin scored three times for Chicago while Doug Mohns, Dennis Hull and Eric Nesterenko each tallied twice.

Denis DeJordy made 37 saves to earn the shutout for Chicago. Doug Favell yielded six goals in the first period for Philadelphia before being relieved by Bernie Parent.,

The Montreal Canadiens won four straight Stanley Cups from 1976-1979. On the way to their fourth consecutive championship, the Habs crushed the Pittsburgh Penguins, 12-0, at the Forum in Montreal.

Yvon Lambert, Mario Tremblay and Doug Risebrough each scored twice while Guy Lapointe had four assists for Montreal and Rejean Houle added three helpers.

Montreal started backup goalie Michel "Bunny" Larocque who made 25 saves to earn the shutout.

The Habs scored five goals in each of the final two periods, chasing Penguins starter Denis Herron.

The Red Wings struck early and often on their way to a 12-0 win over the Blackhawks at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

Detroit opened the scoring just 24 seconds into the game and had a 3-0 lead just 1:48 into the contest.

Tim Higgins had a hat trick for Detroit, the first of his NHL career, while Steve Yzerman added a pair of goals. Greg Stefan made 19 saves for the shutout.

Bob Mason started in net for the Blackhawks before being relieved by Darren Pang.

The 13 goals allowed tied a club record for Chicago.

The Toronto Maple Leafs earned their seventh straight home win with a 13-0 thrashing of the Detroit Red Wings.

Four Toronto players scored twice: Darryl Sittler, Norm Ullman, Paul Henderson and Billy MacMillan.

The Maple Leafs kept attacking throughout the game and registered 49 shots on goal.

Jacques Plante started the game for Toronto, but left after two periods when he was injured during a pileup in front of the Leafs net. Bruce Gamble played the third period.

Jim Rutherford got the start for Detroit and was replaced by Don McLeod after yielding three first-period goals.

The Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s were dangerous, but they were never more explosive than on this night when they scored 13 goals at home against the Vancouver Canucks.

Amazingly, Wayne Gretzky did not score any goals this night, and the Oilers attack was led by Dave Lumley, who had a hat trick and added two assists against Vancouver goalie Frank Caprice.

Andy Moog made 25 saves for the Oilers to earn the shutout. Edmonton killed five Canucks power plays in the second period. Seventeen of Moog's saves came in the middle stanza.

Gretzky contributed four assists.

Edmonton scored seven goals in the third period on its way to a 13-goal night.

The most one-sided game in NHL history took place in Detroit on January 23, 1944, when the Red Wings blanked the New York Rangers, 15-0.

Sure, it took place during World War II when NHL rosters were weakened because so many players were serving in the army, but this was such a bad whipping, it remains hard to believe.

Detroit scored eight goals in the third period to provide the final margin of victory.

Syd Howe scored a hat trick in the third period, including a pair of goals just 18 seconds apart to close out the scoring.

Murray Armstrong, Don Grasso and Carl Liscombe each scored twice for Detroit, and every skater who dressed for the Red Wings registered at least one point, except for defenseman Cully Simon.

Detroit goalie Connie Dion only had to make nine saves to earn the shutout, while Rangers netminder Ken McAuley stopped 43 shots in a losing effort.

The Rangers finished the season with a pitiful 6-39-5 record, while Detroit set a record that still stands nearly seven decades later.