Bobby Clarke's first move as general manager was hiring Mike Keenan as head coach.
[3] On October 18 they tied a franchise record for most goals in one game, after a 13–2 rout of the Vancouver Canucks at the Spectrum.
In addition, the team snapped the Edmonton Oilers' then NHL record 12–0–3 unbeaten streak to start the year with a 7–5 win on November 11.
Although the club got off to a hot 16–4–4 start, they faltered in December, losing four straight games and five of six prior to Christmas.
With the team's slate of games thin throughout January, the Washington Capitals surged to the top of the Patrick Division although the Flyers kept winning consistently.
The game that kicked off the stretch, on February 9 at the Capital Centre, saw Tim Kerr score four goals but Brian Propp won it, 5–4, with two seconds remaining in regulation.
Propp and Ilkka Sinisalo turned the trick in the Vancouver rout, while Poulin and Kerr teamed up for six goals in a wild 9–6 win over Washington on March 7.
[18] On October 25, Tim Kerr scored the first of what would be three 4-goal games during the regular season (January 17 and February 9 being the others), tying the team record, and also set the team marks for most goals in a period (3) and the fastest three goals by one player (two minutes and twenty-seven seconds) during the game.