Records are made to be broken. But some records will seemingly stand forever. One such record is the mark for the most goals in a single NHL game.
Joe Malone scored seven goals for the Quebec Bulldogs in a 10-6 win over the Toronto St. Patricks on Jan. 31, 1920. Malone's record-setting performance, which included a hat trick in the final period, took place in the NHL's third season and has stood for more than a century.
Six players, including Malone, have since scored six goals in a single NHL game. But even that hasn't happened since 1976.
Malone also had three career games with five goals. The only other players to score at least five goals in a game more than twice are Newsy Lalonde (three times), Mario Lemieux (three times) and Wayne Gretzky (four times).
In December 2025, Nashville Predators center Steven Stamkos scored four goals in a 7-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues. The four-goal outing was the second of Stamkos' 18-year career. He previously scored four times in a 7-4 win at Edmonton on Dec. 14, 2023, while with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He also became just the fourth Predators player to score four times, joining Filip Forsberg and Rocco Grimaldi (both in 2021) and Eric Nystrom (2014).
Check out the NHL players with the most goals in a single game below:
7 goals
Joe Malone (Quebec Bulldogs) vs. Toronto St. Patricks on Jan. 31, 1920
6 goals
Darryl Sittler (Toronto Maple Leafs) vs. Boston Bruins on Feb. 7, 1976
Red Berenson (St. Louis Blues) at Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 7, 1968
Syd Howe (Detroit Red Wings) vs. New York Rangers on Feb. 3, 1944
Cy Denneny (Ottawa Senators) vs. Hamilton Tigers on March 7, 1921
Corb Denneny (Toronto St. Patricks) vs. Hamilton Tigers on Jan. 26, 1921
Joe Malone (Quebec Bulldogs) vs. Ottawa Senators on March 10, 1920
Newsy Lalonde (Montreal Canadiens) vs. Toronto St. Patricks on Jan. 10, 1920
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