The New York Islanders didn’t find much early success against their New York City rivals after joining the NHL for the 1972-73 season. Facing the Rangers six times that inaugural year, the Islanders were shut out twice and swept in the season series. But everything changed on October 27, 1973.
In the first meeting of the 1973-74 season, the Islanders finally broke through thanks in large part to a rookie defenseman destined for greatness. On that night at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Denis Potvin opened the scoring just 4:54 into the game, marking not only the Islanders’ first goal of the night but also the first goal of Potvin’s NHL career.
Potvin struck again late in the second period with a powerplay goal at 18:46, giving the Islanders a 3-1 lead. That goal stood as the game-winner, even after Rangers star Jean Ratelle cut the lead to one in the third. The Islanders held on for a 3-2 win, their first-ever victory over the Rangers.
Goaltender Billy Smith stood tall in net, stopping 30 of 32 shots, while Ed Giacomin faced 27 shots for the Rangers. Giacomin also played a direct role in Potvin’s second goal, taking a slashing penalty that led to the powerplay tally.
The game wasn’t without its share of fireworks. A pair of second-period fights kept tensions high, beginning with Brad Park and Andre St. Laurent, followed by a heavyweight clash between Vic Hadfield and Bob Nystrom.
Despite the historic win, the Islanders would finish the season 1-5 against the Rangers. Still, the breakthrough set the tone for a more competitive rivalry in years to come. By the next season, the Islanders had earned two wins and a tie against the Blueshirts, early signs of the power they would soon become in the NHL.
Islanders vs. Rangers 1974-75
The third year for the new New York team saw some dramatic change. The Islanders reached the semi-final and nearly upset the eventual Stanley Cup champion Philadelphia Flyers. In their regular season series with the Rangers, the Isles were 2-3-1.
The Islanders showed improvement all year and the two wins against their cross-town rivals were the last two, within a week of each other. The wins on March 29, 1975 and April 6, 1975 were both by the score of 6-4. Glenn Resch was a standout in goal for both and rookie Clark Gillies led with two points in each match.
As luck would have it, the two teams met in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the first time in the post season for the Islanders. In the best of 3 preliminary round set, the away team won each game. The Islanders won game 1 3-2 at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers put up 8 in a game 2 8-3 win. The series clincher was decided in overtime with J.P. Parise scoring just eleven seconds into the extra frame.
