SUNRISE, Fla. — In a remarkable start, Landon Slaggert etched his name into the Chicago Blackhawks record book by scoring just seven seconds into their game against the Florida Panthers on Saturday afternoon. This moment marked the fastest goal to commence a game in Blackhawks history, setting a new benchmark according to NHL records.
Slaggert expressed his astonishment, noting, “That’s pretty wild.” The previous record was held by Brent Sutter, who netted a goal with just eight seconds gone in Chicago’s victory over Vancouver on February 5, 1995.
Reflecting on the play, Slaggert explained, “I was just focused on getting some pressure on their defensemen. The puck kind of just squirted to an area, and I saw that I could get on it first and, you know, just caught a break. Ended up working out.” However, Chicago’s jubilation was short-lived as the Panthers triumphed in the match with a score of 5-1.
Carter Verhaeghe from Florida acknowledged the team’s quick response after conceding the early goal. “It’s never a good feeling,” he commented. “But we kind of just reset from there and played it like a normal game.” Slaggert’s goal not only marked an impressive feat for the Blackhawks but was also the fastest goal at the start of a game in the current NHL season, surpassing Robert Thomas’s nine-second goal for St. Louis against New Jersey on November 27.
The play unfolded with Ryan Donato winning the opening faceoff and transitioning the puck into the Florida zone. Slaggert, achieving his second goal in only his third game of the season, maneuvered around two Panthers defenders, gathered the puck, and scored with a backhand shot against Florida’s goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky.
This goal also represented the swiftest opener in Florida’s franchise history, three seconds faster than Mike Knuble’s goal for Boston against the Panthers on February 14, 2003. Donato quickly realized the historical significance of Slaggert’s score. “He was saying in the little pile there that it might be the fastest,” Slaggert recalled, adding, “It’s kind of funny to hear.”
In the annals of NHL history, only seven regulation goals have been scored faster than Slaggert’s achievement on Saturday. The last instance of such rapid scoring occurred six seconds into the game by Alexandre Burrows of Vancouver during a 5-2 defeat to Detroit on March 16, 2013.
Historically, four players have managed to score five seconds into games, including Merlyn Phillips of the Montreal Maroons, Doug Smail from the Winnipeg Jets, Bryan Trottier of the New York Islanders, and Alexander Mogilny of the Buffalo Sabres. The six-second mark has also seen three goals, including Burrows’, Henry Boucha of the Detroit Red Wings, and Jean Pronovost of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Slaggert’s goal is officially recorded as the eighth at the seven-second mark of the first period in NHL history, adding to the excitement of a remarkable event in the world of hockey.
