On February 16, 1972, at Chicago Stadium, the Philadelphia Flyers looked to have things well in hand. Second-period goals by Simon Nolet, Bill Flett, and Bobby Clarke had staked them to what felt like a comfortable 3-0 lead over the Blackhawks heading into the final frame. But then Jim Pappin went to work.
At 2:57 of the third, Pappin beat Flyers goalie Bobby Taylor for his 18th goal of the 1971-72 season, assisted by Bryan Campbell. Just six seconds later, before the Flyers had time to recover, he struck again, this time set up by former Flyer Andre Lacroix. Suddenly, it was 3-2.
With the momentum fully swinging Chicago’s way, the Blackhawks kept coming. Just over two minutes later, at 5:08, Stan Mikita scored the tying goal, assisted by defenseman Bill White. Though the Flyers managed to hang on for the 3-3 tie, their confidence had clearly taken a hit.
Pappin’s rapid-fire pair wasn’t an NHL record, but it did tie him with Howie Meeker for the third-fastest two goals by one player in league history. The record of four seconds was originally set by Nels Stewart in 1931 and later matched by Deron Quint in 1995. Pete Mahovlich and Nathan Gerbe each scored a pair five seconds apart, while others joining Pappin and Meeker at six seconds include Ralph Backstrom, Lanny McDonald, and Sylvain Turgeon.