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.
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.
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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