J.P. Parise’s 11-Second OT Goal Gives Islanders Their First Playoff Series Win

The New York Islanders could hardly have asked for a more dramatic introduction to the Stanley Cup playoffs. Making their first postseason appearance in 1975, they faced their neighbours and natural rivals, the New York Rangers, in a best-of-three preliminary round. After the teams split the opening two games, the series came down to an April 11 showdown at Madison Square Garden.

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Highlights

• The Islanders made their first Stanley Cup playoff appearance in 1975.

• Their opening series against the Rangers required a deciding third game.

• Clark Gillies and Denis Potvin built a 3-0 Islanders lead.

• Bill Fairbairn and Steve Vickers led the Rangers’ third-period comeback.

• J.P. Parise scored just 11 seconds into overtime for a 4-3 victory.

• The goal broke Pit Martin’s 12-second playoff overtime record from 1972.

• Parise and Jude Drouin had joined the Islanders in separate January trades with Minnesota.

• The Islanders advanced to the semifinals before losing to Philadelphia in seven games.

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For two periods, the Islanders appeared to have the deciding game under control. Clark Gillies opened the scoring in the first, and Denis Potvin added two second-period goals, one on the power play and another shorthanded. That gave the visitors a 3-0 lead heading into the third. The Rangers, however, refused to let their season end quietly. Bill Fairbairn scored twice before Steve Vickers supplied the equalizer, sending the game into overtime.

The extra period lasted just 11 seconds. Jude Drouin found J.P. Parise, who beat Ed Giacomin to give the Islanders a 4-3 victory and the first playoff series win in franchise history. Giacomin had replaced Gilles Villemure during the second period and stopped all four shots he faced before overtime. The next one ended the Rangers’ season.

Parise’s winner also established a record for the fastest overtime goal in Stanley Cup playoff history. He shaved one second off the previous mark, set by Chicago’s Pit Martin against the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 9, 1972. For the Islanders, the historical footnote was a bonus: their first taste of playoff hockey had produced a series victory over their biggest rivals.

The two forwards behind the winning goal had arrived from the Minnesota North Stars just three months earlier. On January 5, 1975, the Islanders acquired Parise for Ernie Hicke and Doug Rombough. Two days later, they sent Craig Cameron to Minnesota for Drouin. Those separate deals gave New York a pair of experienced forwards who would make an immediate postseason impact.

The Islanders went on to eliminate Pittsburgh in seven games before pushing the Philadelphia Flyers to a seventh game in the semifinals. Against Philadelphia, New York lost the first three games before winning three straight to stay alive. Parise and Drouin helped launch that comeback in Game 4, this time reversing roles: Drouin scored the overtime winner, with assists going to Parise and Ed Westfall. The Flyers eventually ended the run, but the Islanders’ first postseason had given their fans plenty to remember.

Rangers vs. Islanders: Denis Potvin, Mark Messier, and Everything Else You Wanted to Know about New York's Greatest Hockey Rivalry

Explore the fierce rivalry between the New York Rangers and New York Islanders, featuring legendary figures, unforgettable clashes, and the moments that defined one of hockey’s most intense matchups.

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Hardy Astrom Makes 49 Saves as Colorado Rockies Beat Rangers in 1981

The New York Rangers fired 52 shots at Hardy Astrom on January 15, 1981, but the Colorado Rockies goaltender had an answer for all but three. Facing the team that gave him his NHL start, Astrom made 49 saves while Mike Gillis supplied a hat trick in a 4-3 Colorado victory.

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Highlights

• Astrom stopped 49 of 52 shots on January 15, 1981.

• Colorado defeated the visiting Rangers 4-3.

• Mike Gillis scored three of the Rockies’ four goals.

• Gillis completed his hat trick with the winner at 15:18 of the third period.

• Walt McKechnie scored Colorado’s other goal while shorthanded.

• New York outshot Colorado 52-22.

• Astrom played 83 NHL games with the Rangers and Rockies.

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It was the second time Astrom faced at least 50 shots in a game with the Rockies. On October 13, 1979, he stopped 48 of 50 in a 2-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. This time, his teammates provided enough offence to turn another exhausting night into a win.

Colorado opened a 2-0 first-period lead on goals by Gillis and Walt McKechnie against Rangers goalie Doug Soetaert. McKechnie’s goal came shorthanded with Dave Watson serving a roughing penalty. Dave Silk replied for New York before the intermission, but Gillis struck again early in the second period to restore Colorado’s two-goal cushion.

The Rangers kept coming. Eddie Johnstone scored shorthanded in the second period, and Anders Hedberg tied the game 3-3 at 9:04 of the third. Gillis then completed his hat trick at 15:18, putting Colorado ahead for good. Despite outshooting the Rockies 52-22, New York left with a loss as Soetaert allowed four goals on 22 shots.

The victory improved Colorado’s record to 16 wins, 22 losses and seven ties through 45 games. Unfortunately, Astrom’s standout performance did not mark the beginning of a turnaround. The Rockies won just once in their next 17 games.

Astrom spent most of his professional career in Sweden and appeared in 83 NHL games with the Rangers and Rockies between 1977-78 and 1980-81. He never recorded an NHL shutout, but he did collect an assist in Colorado’s 6-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on December 17, 1980. Along with stopping 28 of 29 shots, he earned the lone helper on Joel Quenneville’s game-winning goal.

NHL Playoff Hat Tricks Of The 1960s

Relive the NHL playoff hat tricks of the 1960s with the stories, stars, and memorable performances behind some of the decade’s biggest postseason scoring nights.

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Rogie Vachon Records His 50th NHL Shutout Against the Surging Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers arrived at Boston Garden on November 16, 1980, riding a 13-game unbeaten streak. The Boston Bruins, meanwhile, had managed just four wins through their first 16 games. It hardly looked like the ideal matchup for a Boston breakthrough, but Rogie Vachon helped deliver one. Making his 10th appearance as a Bruin, the veteran goaltender stopped all 19 shots he faced to record his 50th career NHL shutout in a 1-0 victory.

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Highlights

• Vachon recorded his 50th NHL shutout on November 16, 1980.

• Boston defeated Philadelphia 1-0 at Boston Garden.

• The loss ended the Flyers’ 13-game unbeaten streak.

• Brad Park scored the only goal at 9:35 of the second period.

• Vachon made 19 saves; Phil Myre stopped 29 of 30 shots.

• Vachon’s first NHL shutout came with Montreal on March 5, 1967.

• He retired with 51 regular-season shutouts and entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2016.

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More than 13 years had passed since Vachon’s first NHL shutout. On March 5, 1967, in just his eighth NHL appearance, he made 29 saves as the Montreal Canadiens defeated the New York Rangers 2-0. By the time he reached number 50, his career had taken him from Montreal to the Los Angeles Kings and Detroit Red Wings before bringing him to Boston.

Neither team scored through the opening period or the first half of the second. Finally, at 9:35 of the middle frame, Brad Park beat Philadelphia goaltender Phil Myre with a slapshot from the blue line. Stan Jonathan and Peter McNab earned the assists on what proved to be the game’s only goal.

Myre gave the Flyers every chance to extend their unbeaten streak, turning aside 29 of Boston’s 30 shots. At the other end, Vachon handled a lighter workload without allowing a breakthrough. Tom Gorence was Philadelphia’s busiest shooter, accounting for five of the Flyers’ 19 shots on net.

The milestone performance was Vachon’s only shutout in 53 appearances during the 1980-81 season. He added one more in 1981-82, his final NHL campaign, to finish with 51 regular-season shutouts, the same career total as Dave Kerr, Tomas Vokoun and Curtis Joseph. In 2016, Vachon’s long wait for another milestone ended when he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

NHL Playoff Hat Tricks Of The 1960s

Relive the NHL playoff hat tricks of the 1960s with the stories, stars, and memorable performances behind some of the decade’s biggest postseason scoring nights.

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