Road to the Cup - May 10, 1980 -- Isles 5, Buffalo 2 (Isles win best-of-7 series 4-2)

40 Years Ago Tonight

By Eric Hornick

Game 6
Isles 5, Buffalo 2

The Isles advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in their history with a 5-2 win over Buffalo, as they clinched their semi-final series, 4 games to 2.

Gilbert Perreault had given the Sabres a 2-0 first period lead with a pair of goals -- it gave Perreault five goals in the last three periods at the Coliseum and six goals in the series – all at the Coliseum.  But those were the last goals that Buffalo would score in the series.

John Tonelli got one of the goals back, at 8:08 of the first period and the Isles got even on a power play goal by Mike Bossy 31 seconds into the second period.

Bob Lorimer played his college hockey
 at Michigan Tech (MTU)

“We were a little too nervous at the start, and the crowd’s noise didn’t help us get going in the right direction. We were too hyped up already”, Mike Bossy told the NY Times Parton Keese.

So who got what turned out to be the series-clinching goal?  It turned out to be Bob Lorimer, whose first goal of the playoffs made it 3-2 midway through the second period.  “I went into the slot, and Butchie (Goring) got the puck to me. I had a foot of open net, and I quickly put it in.”  It was one of three playoff goals Lorimer scored for the Isles.  

Duane Sutter gave the Isles some insurance at 11:50 of the third period and Bob Bourne completed the scoring with a shorthanded, empty net tally. 

Billy Smith finished with 22 saves as the Isles eliminated the Sabres for the third time in five years. Smith recorded all 12 wins in those three series; he finished his career with more playoff wins against only one opponent – the Rangers (18-5).

Here's a condensed version of the CBC broadcast:

The Scoring:

1st Period

02:26 BUF Gilbert Perreault (9) Bill Hajt, Richie Dunn

06:53 BUF Gilbert Perreault (10) John Van Boxmeer

08:08 NYI John Tonelli (7) Duane Sutter, Stefan Persson

2nd Period

00:31 NYI PP Mike Bossy (6) Bob Bourne, Bryan Trottier

11:11 NYI Bob Lorimer (1) Bob Bourne, Butch Goring

3rd Period

11:50 NYI Duane Sutter (2) Clark Gillies, Butch Goring

19:00 NYI SH, EN Bob Bourne (10)

The Series:Game 1: Isles 4, Buffalo 2
Game 2: Isles 2, Buffalo 1 (OT)
Game 3: Isles 7, Buffalo 4
Game 4: Buffalo 7, Isles 4
Game 5: Buffalo 2, Isles 0
May 10 - Isles 5, Buffalo 2
(Isles win series, 4-2)

Mini-Skinny:
The Isles outshot Buffalo 31-24....  Billy Smith improved to 11-2 in the playoffs while Bob Sauve fell to 6-2... Bob Bourne's team-leading 10th goal was the Isles' 6th shorthanded goal of the 1980 playoffs. The six shorthanded goals tie the then-NHL record set the previous year by the Rangers...Gilbert Perreault led the Sabres  in the series with six goals and eight points (6-2-8); Bob Bourne led the Isles with five goals and seven points (5-2-7). Bourne already had ten goals, just five shy of the 15 he had scored in the regular season.  Seven of the 10 were special teams tallies.  It was the only time in his playoff career he scored at least 10 goals....Bob Lorimer's winning goal was the only one he scored in the 1980 playoffs and the only winning goal of his playoff career.  Lorimer would scored one more goal the following post-season before being dealt to the Colorado Rockies for a draft pick. The Isles used that pick to select Pat LaFontaine!

Overtime is Our Time!
1st round vs LA: Game 3 (W 4-3 Morrow 6:55)
Quarter-Finals vs Bos: Game 1 (W 2-1 Gillies 1:02)
Quarter-Finals vs Bos: Game 2 (W 5-4 Bourne 1:24)
Quarter-Finals vs Bos: Game 4 (L 4-3 O'Reilly 17:13)
Semi-Finals vs Buf: Game 2 (W 2-1 Nystrom 21:20)

Isles Scoring Leaders thru 14 GamesBryan Trottier 8-13-21
Bob Bourne 10-6-16
Bob Nystrom 6-8-14

Isles +/- Leaders thru 14 GamesBob Lorimer +14
Denis Potvin +11
Garry Howatt +9
Butch Goring/John Tonelli +8

Isles Penalty Minute Leaders thru 14 GamesGarry Howatt 63
Gord Lane 57

Clark Gillies 50
Duane Sutter 46

In their fourth try, the Isles had finally advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.  Waiting for them were the Philadelphia Flyers, who had eliminated Minnesota in five games.

The 1979-80 Flyers had had a tremendous season, one which started with a 35-game unbeaten streak (25-0-10). The teams would meet in the playoffs for the first time since the 1975 Semi-Finals. We'll pick up the story on Wednesday, the 40th anniversary of the first Stanley Cup Final game in Isles history.

Road to the Cup - May 8, 1980 -- Buffalo 2, Isles 0 (Isles lead best-of-7 series 3-2)

40 Years Ago Tonight... (actually last night)
By Eric Hornick

Game 5
Buffalo 2, Isles 0
John Van Boxmeer and Richie Dunn scored power play goals while Bob Sauve made 22 saves to record the shutout as the Sabres cut the Isles' lead in the Stanley Cup Semi-Finals to 3-games-to-2 with a 2-0 win over the Isles in Game 5.

It was the Sabres' first win over the Isles in six home playoff games, dating back to the 1976 Quarter-Finals.

With John Tonelli serving an early penalty, Chico Resch allowed a power play goal just 1:52 into play in his first start since Game 2 of the preliminary series.  Resch, who had mopped up in the third period in game four, would allow only one other goal but the Isles were stymied by the Sabres' defense.  Chico would play another seven seasons in the NHL, but he would never start another playoff game.

The Scoring:

1st Period
01:52 BUF PP John Van Boxmeer (3) Rick Martin, Danny Gare

2nd Period
14:45 BUF PP Richie Dunn (2) Ric Seiling, John Van Boxmeer

3rd Period
No Scoring

The Series:
Game 1: Isles 4, Buffalo 2
Game 2: Isles 2, Buffalo 1 (OT)
Game 3: Isles 7, Buffalo 4
Game 4: Buffalo 7, Isles 4
Game 5: Buffalo 2, Isles 0
May 10 - At Isles
(Isles lead series, 3-2)

Mini-Skinny:
The Isles outshot Buffalo 22-15....  Chico Resch fell to 0-2 in the playoffs while Bob Sauve earned the win, improving to 6-1... It was the only time in the four Stanley Cup winning seasons that the Isles were shutout; they were blanked three times in the Drive For Five campaign...Resch finished his playoff career with a 17-17 record (all with the Isles)...The game established an Islander club record for fewest combined shots in a playoff game (37); that record was broken in a 1985 game with Washington...The 15 shots allowed set an Islander record that still stands today.

Overtime is Our Time!
1st round vs LA: Game 3 (W 4-3 Morrow 6:55)
Quarter-Finals vs Bos: Game 1 (W 2-1 Gillies 1:02)
Quarter-Finals vs Bos: Game 2 (W 5-4 Bourne 1:24)
Quarter-Finals vs Bos: Game 4 (L 4-3 O'Reilly 17:13)
Semi-Finals vs Buf: Game 2 (W 2-1 Nystrom 21:20)

Isles Scoring Leaders thru 13 Games
Bryan Trottier 8-12-20
Bob Nystrom 6-8-14
Bob Bourne 9-4-13

Isles +/- Leaders thru 13 Games
Bob Lorimer +11
Denis Potvin +8
Garry Howatt +8
Gordie Lane +8

Isles Penalty Minute Leaders thru 13 Games
Garry Howatt 63
Gord Lane 57
Duane Sutter 46
Clark Gillies 48

The Sabres were back in the series and while the Islander players were still confident, they had to feel that Game 6 was a must game for both sides. We'll pick up the story on Sunday, the 40th anniversary of Game 6, and the biggest game in Bob Lorimer's career.

Road to the Cup - May 6, 1980 -- Buffalo 7, Isles 4 (Isles lead best-of-7 series 3-1)

40 Years Ago Tonight... 

By Eric Hornick

Game 4

Buffalo 7, Isles 4

The Isles were ready to punch a ticket to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in their history, and the Coliseum crowd had their brooms ready but the Sabres had other ideas.  Buffalo rallied from a 3-1 deficit for a 7-4 win in game 4 of their Semi-Final series.  Bob Bourne and Bob Nystrom each scored twice for the Isles.  

Gilbert Perreault completed his hat trick into the empty net as the Sabres stopped an 11-game playoff losing streak against the Isles.(one shy of the NHL record against a single opponent).

The Scoring:

1st Period

08:52 NYI PP Bob Bourne (8) Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy

16:14 BUF SH Don Luce (3)         Andre Savard

19:13 NYI Bob Bourne (9) Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy

2nd Period

03:28 NYI Bob Nystrom (5) Denis Potvin

07:21 BUF Derek Smith (4) Jim Schoenfeld, Tony McKegney

09:29 BUF PP Gilbert Perreault (6) Derek Smith, Lindy Ruff

11:10 BUF Gilbert Perreault (7) Don Luce

19:30 BUF PP Derek Smith (5) Danny Gare, Gilbert Perreault

3rd Period

01:51 NYI Bob Nystrom (6) Bob Lorimer

12:14 BUF Tony McKegney (3) Danny Gare, Derek Smith

19:47 BUF EN Gilbert Perreault (8)

The Series:

Game 1: Isles 4, Buffalo 2

Game 2: Isles 2, Buffalo 1 (OT)

Game 3: Isles 7, Buffalo 4

Game 4: May 8 - At Buffalo

(Isles lead series, 3-1)

Mini-Skinny: 

The Isles were outshot by Buffalo 35-31....  Billy Smith fell to 10-2 in the playoffs while Bob Sauve earned the win... Bob Lorimer went +3 for the Isles, earning a point on each even-strength goal, and not being on-ice for any of the five Sabres goals not scored on the power play...Gilbert Perreault's hat trick was the first of three allowed by the Isles in a playoff game since Rick MacLeish (5-13-1975)  and was the first of 3 allowed by the Isles in the Cup era (Paul Holmgren -1980 Final, Wayne Gretzky -1981 Quarter-Finals)...Bob Bourne's two goals gave him the club lead with 9; Bill Barber also had 9...Bryan Trottier's two assists gave him the NHL playoff lead with 20 points; his 12 assists were one behind Bobby Smith's league-leading 13...Both Perreault and Derek Smith tied the club record for points against the Isles in a playoff games (set by Jean Ratelle and Steve Vickers on April 10, 1975).

Overtime is Our Time!

1st round vs LA: Game 3 (W 4-3 Morrow 6:55)

Quarter-Finals vs Bos: Game 1 (W 2-1 Gillies 1:02)

Quarter-Finals vs Bos: Game 2 (W 5-4 Bourne 1:24) 

Quarter-Finals vs Bos: Game 4 (L 4-3 O'Reilly 17:13) 

Semi-Finals vs Buf: Game 2 (W 2-1 Nystrom 21:20)

Isles Scoring Leaders thru 12 Games

• Bryan Trottier 8-12-20
• Bob Nystrom 6-8-14
• Bob Bourne 9-4-13

Isles +/- Leaders thru 12 Games 

• Bob Lorimer +11
• Denis Potvin +8
• Garry Howatt +8
• Gordie Lane +8

Isles Penalty Minute Leaders thru 12 Games

• Garry Howatt 63
• Gord Lane 50
• Duane Sutter 46
• Clark Gillies 46

The Sabres had life, and were heading home. For the first time in a month, Billy Smith would not play - Chico Resch was in goal. We'll pick up the story on Friday, the 40th anniversary of Game 5.

Road to the Cup - May 3, 1980 -- Isles 7, Buffalo 4 (Isles lead best-of-7 series 3-0)

40 Years Ago Tonight... 

By Eric Hornick

Game 3

Isles 7, Buffalo 4

Bryan Trottier scored two second period goals to break a 2-2 tie as the Islanders moved within one win of the Stanley Cup Final with a 7-4 victory over Buffalo as the Isles grabbed a 3-0 lead in the series. It was the Isles’ 11^th straight playoff win over the Sabres (one shy of the NHL record against a single opponent).

Mike Bossy and Wayne Merrick had scored first period goals to give the Isles the lead but a late goal by Tony McKegney cut the advantage in half before the period was over.  After Gilbert Perreault tied the game at 8:12 of the 2^nd period, Trottier needed just 45 seconds to restore the Isles’ lead.  He then added a power play goal with 1:34 left in the session.

Lorne Henning and Bob Bourne scored in the first 8 minutes of the third to make it a 6-2 lead but the Sabres weren’t quite done yet, scoring twice in 58 seconds to cut the lead to 6-4 before Butch Goring cemented the win into an empty net.  

The Scoring:

1st Period

05:14 NYI Mike Bossy (5) Bryan Trottier

12:47 NYI Wayne Merrick (2) John Tonelli

19:28 BUF Tony McKegney (2) Bill Hajt, Derek Smith

2nd Period

08:12 BUF Gilbert Perreault (5) Rick Martin

08:57 NYI Bryan Trottier (7) Bob Nystrom, Denis Potvin

18:26 NYI PP Bryan Trottier (8) Mike Bossy

3rd Period

02:59 NYI SH Lorne Henning (2) Denis Potvin

07:47 NYI PP Bob Bourne (7) Bob Nystrom, Wayne Merrick

10:11 BUF PP Derek Smith (3) Tony McKegney, Larry Playfair

11:09 BUF Lindy Ruff (1)         Bob Mongrain, Richie Dunn

19:38 NYI EN Butch Goring (4) Bob Nystrom

The Series:

Game 1: Isles 4, Buffalo 2

Game 2: Isles 2, Buffalo 1 (OT)

Game 3: Isles 7, Buffalo 4

Game 4: At Coliseum May 6

(Isles lead series, 3-0)

Mini-Skinny: 

The Isles outshot Buffalo 40-33....  Billy Smith improved to 10-1 in the playoffs while Don Edwards took the loss... The win was the Isles' tenth in the playoffs (10-2), breaking the then-club record set in 1975.... It was only the 2nd time that the Isles had moved within one game of the Cup Final, having forced Philadelphia to a seventh game in 1975.

Overtime is Our Time!

1st round vs LA: Game 3 (W 4-3 Morrow 6:55)

Quarter-Finals vs Bos: Game 1 (W 2-1 Gillies 1:02)

Quarter-Finals vs Bos: Game 2 (W 5-4 Bourne 1:24) 

Quarter-Finals vs Bos: Game 4 (L 4-3 O'Reilly 17:13) 

Semi-Finals vs Buf: Game 2 (W 2-1 Nystrom 21:20)

Isles Scoring Leaders thru 11 Games

Bryan Trottier 8-10-18

John Tonelli 6-6-12

Bob Nystrom 4-8-12

Isles +/- Leaders thru 11 Games (When you think about a team where everybody played a role, look at all of the guys +8!)

Bryan Trottier +9

Garry Howatt +8

Dave Langevin +8

Gordie Lane +8

Bob Lorimer +8

Isles Penalty Minute Leaders thru 11 Games

Garry Howatt 63

Duane Sutter 46

Clark Gillies 46

Gord Lane 46

The Isles had a 3-0 lead in the semi-finals for the first time in their history.  

“We’re one game away from the final; everyone knows that. If we do it in four, then we can sit back and relax”, Denis Potvin told the NY Times’ Parton Keese. “But there’s still one more game, don’t forget it.” 

We'll pick up the story on Wednesday, the 40th anniversary of Game 4.

Road to the Cup - May 1, 1980 -- Isles 2, Buffalo 1 2OT (Isles lead best-of-7 series 2-0)

40 Years Ago Tonight... (actually last night)

By Eric Hornick

Game 2

Isles 2, Buffalo 1 (2 OT)

Bob Nystrom's fourth career overtime goal is by far his most famous; however it was his third overtime goal 1:20 into the second overtime that gave the Isles a 2-1 period over Buffalo, and a 2-0 lead in their semi-final series.

Nystrom's rebound of a Bob Lorimer shot ended the longest game in Islander history (to that point) and ended the only Islander multiple-overtime game in the Cup era. The winning goal was scored at 12:10 AM Buffalo time, marking the first Islander game to start on one day and finish on the next.

Butch Goring had broken a scoreless tie late in the second period but Andre Savard tied the score at 11:47, setting the stage for the first five-period game in Islander history.

The Isles had swept the two games in Buffalo, and despite having won only three regular season season games ever in Buffalo to that point, had extended their road winning streak over the Sabres to five games.  They also extended their overall playoff win streak over Buffalo to 10 games.

Here is a news clip of all three goals from the game:

And here's the CBC call of the game (with Bob Cole and Gary Dornhoefer); check out Bob Cole wearing Islander goalie equipment in the pre-game!

The Scoring:

1st Period

No Scoring

2nd Period

15:02 NYI Butch Goring (3) Gord Lane, Denis Potvin

3rd Period

11:47 BUF Andre Savard (1) Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin

First Overtime Period

No Scoring

2nd Ovetime Period

01:20 NYI Bob Nystrom (4) Bob Lorimer, Clark Gillies

The Series:

Game 1: Isles 4, Buffalo 2

Game 2: Isles 2, Buffalo 1 (OT)

Game 3: At Coliseum May 3

Game 4: At Coliseum May 6

(Isles lead series, 2-0)

Mini-Skinny: 

Buffalo outshot the Isles 42-33 with each team having 10 shots in overtime....  Billy Smith improved to 9-1 in the playoffs while Bob Sauve took the loss... The win was the Isles' ninth in the playoffs (9-2), tying the then-club record set in 1975....The Isles recorded their seventh straight road victory (2 in LA, 3 in Boston, 2 in Buffalo)...Bob Nystrom became the first Islander to score three career overtime goals (he is the only Islander to finish with four)...Andre Savard's goal, the first since Buffalo opened the scoring in game 1, ended a 106:23 scoreless stretch for Billy Smith.

Mr. Overtime

Bob Nystrom scored four overtime goals for the Isles:

4/25/1978 - Game 5 vs. Toronto 8:02

5/3/1979 - Game 4 @ Rangers 3:40

5/1/1980 - Game 2 @ Buffalo 21:20

and (spoiler alert!)

5/24/1980 - Game 6 vs. Philadelphia 7:11 

Overtime is Our Time!

1st round vs LA: Game 3 (W 4-3 Morrow 6:55)

2nd round vs Bos: Game 1 (W 2-1 Gillies 1:02)

2nd round vs Bos: Game 2 (W 5-4 Bourne 1:24) 

2nd round vs Bos: Game 4 (L 4-3 O'Reilly 17:13) 

Semi-Finals vs Buf: Game 2 (W 2-1 Nystrom 21:20)

Isles Scoring Leaders thru 11 Games

Bryan Trottier 6-9-15

John Tonelli 6-5-11

Bob Bourne 6-4-10

Butch Goring 3-7-10

Isles +/- Leaders thru 11 Games

Dave Langevin +10

Bryan Trottier +8

Stefan Persson +8

Isles Penalty Minute Leaders thru 11 Games

Garry Howatt 63

Duane Sutter 46

Clark Gillies 46

Gord Lane 44

The Isles had a 2-0 lead in the semi-finals for the first time in their history.  They were heading home with a chance to take a stranglehold on the series. 

We'll pick up the story on Sunday, the 40th anniversary of Game 3.

Road to the Cup - April 29, 1980 -- Isles 4, Buffalo 1 (Isles lead best-of-7 series 1-0)

40 Years Ago Tonight...

By Eric Hornick

Game 1

Isles 4, Buffalo 1

It had been a week since their last game when the Isles hit the ice at The Aud in Buffalo to open the semi-finals.

To this point in their history, Buffalo was a spot that the Isles could never win in regular season play (3-12-4) but they had won two playoff series over the Sabres (1976 and 1977) and had gone 3-2 in Buffalo in those two series,

The Sabres had had a tremendous regular season, finishing first in defense and third in offense while amassing 110 points; they also had  Scotty Bowman behind the bench and home-ice.

Rick Dudley gave the Sabres an early 1-0 lead and when Gord Lane took a major penalty for spearing the Isles were in a bit of trouble.  However late in the power play Bob Bourne flipped the game with an unassisted shorthanded tally.  Mike Bossy scored unassisted later in the period for a 2-1 Isles advantage after one.

John Tonelli scored the only goal of the second period and then scored the only goal of the third as the Isles coasted to a 4-1 win to grab the series lead.

The Scoring:

1st Period

05:23 BUF Rick Dudley (3) Craig Ramsay

13:09 NYI SH Bob Bourne (6)

17:42 NYI Mike Bossy (4)

2nd Period

09:56 NYI John Tonelli (5) Dave Langevin, Stefan Persson

3rd Period

11:10 NYI John Tonelli (6) Duane Sutter

The Series:

Game 1: Isles 4, Buffalo 2

Game 2: May 1 in Buffalo

(Isles lead series, 1-0)

Mini-Skinny: 

Buffalo outshot the Isles 32-29....  Billy Smith improved to 8-1 in the playoffs while Don Edwards (who had shared the Vezina with Bob Sauve) took the loss... The win was the Isles' eighth in the playoffs (8-2), one shy of the then-club record set in 1975...The Isles improved to 3-0 in series openers (they would win 15 of 16 game 1's during the four years they won the Cup...Bob Bourne and John Tonelli both tied Bryan Trottier for the team lead in playoff goals (6)...The Isles recorded their sixth straight road victory (2 in LA, 3 in Boston, 1 in Buffalo)

Overtime is Our Time!

1st round vs LA: Game 3 (W 4-3 Morrow 6:55)

2nd round vs Bos: Game 1 (W 2-1 Gillies 1:02)

2nd round vs Bos: Game 2 (W 5-4 Bourne 1:24) 

2nd round vs Bos: Game 4 (L 4-3 O'Reilly 17:13) 

Isles Scoring Leaders thru 10 Games

Bryan Trottier 6-9-15

John Tonelli 6-5-11

Bob Bourne 6-4-10

Butch Goring 2-7-9

Isles +/- Leaders thru 10 Games

Dave Langevin +10

Bryan Trottier +8

Stefan Persson +8

Isles Penalty Minute Leaders thru 10 Games

Garry Howatt 63

Duane Sutter 46

Clark Gillies 44

The Isles had guaranteed themselves a split of the opening pair in Buffalo.  They had never won the first two games of the semi-finals before this; they would have a shot two nights later.  It would just take a while.

We'll pick up the story (with lots of video) on "May Day, May Day" (May 1st).

Road to the Cup - April 22, 1980 -- Isles 4, Boston 2 (Isles win best-of-7 series 4-1)

40 Years Ago Tonight...

By Eric Hornick

Game 5

Isles 4, Boston 2

It was on to the semi-finals for the Never Say Dielanders, who rallied from a 2-0 deficit for a 4-2 win at Boston Garden.  The win clinched the series for the Isles, 4 games to 1.

Wayne Cashman and Peter McNab scored in the first 3:28 to give Boston the early 2-0 lead, as the Bruins, who were 20 seconds away from elimination less than 24 hours earlier seized the early momentum.

It stayed that way for the rest of the first and most of the second, when Stefan Persson got the Isles on the board. 

Emblematic of this series, there was another big fight midway through the second period as Duane Sutter and Clark Gillies fought with Al Secord and Mike Milbury. Later in the session, Ray Bourque (yes, Ray Bourque) received a triple-minor after he exchanged sticks and rough stuff with Garry Howatt (who received four minutes).  Bourque was still in the penalty box when Persson's goal changed the game.

Here's a bit of the fight from TV-38 (with Fred Cusick on the call); the clip begins with Milbury and Sutter already on the ice.

Still, the Isles trailed 2-1 in a usually unfriendly building heading to the third period, but this was a different Islander team.  Duane Sutter tied the game early in the period and just under six minutes into the period Clark Gillies scored what turned out to be the series-winning goal. Denis Potvin scored the final goal of the series with at 14:27; with that goal, School Was Out for the Bruins and the Isles had advanced. 

Here are some highlights from Dick Irvin on Hockey Night in Canada:

The Scoring:

1st Period

01:31 BOS Wayne Cashman (3) Ray Bourque, Craig MacTavish

03:28 BOSPP Peter McNab (8) Wayne Cashman, Rick Middleton

2nd Period

17:23 NYI PP Stefan Persson (2) Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy

3rd Period

02:38 NYI Duane Sutter (1) Bob Lorimer, Butch Goring

05:58 NYI Clark Gillies (4) Duane Sutter, Butch Goring

14:27 NYI Denis Potvin (1) Mike Bossy

The Series:

Game 1: Isles 2, Boston 1 (OT)

Game 2: Isles 5, Boston 4 (OT)
Game 3: Isles 5, Boston 3

Game 4: Boston 4, Isles 3 (OT)

Game 5: Isles 4, Boston 2

(Isles win series, 4-1)

Mini-Skinny: 

Each team had 24 shots on goal....  Billy Smith improved to 7-1 in the playoffs.. The Isles had gone 3-8-4 in their prior 15 regular season games in Boston before winning all three games in the series....There were 416 penalty minutes in the series (Boston 209, Isles 207).

Overtime is Our Time!

1st round vs LA : Game 3  (W 4-3 Morrow 6:55)

2nd round vs Bos: Game 1 (W 2-1 Gillies 1:02)

2nd round vs Bos: Game 2 (W 5-4 Bourne 1:24) 

2nd round vs Bos: Game 4 (L 4-3 O'Reilly 17:13) 

Isles Scoring Leaders thru 9 Games

Bryan Trottier 6-9-15

John Tonelli 4-5-9

Bob Bourne 5-4-9

Butch Goring 2-7-9

Isles +/- Leaders thru 9 Games

Bryan Trottier +8

Dave Langevin +7

Gord Lane +7

Isles Penalty Minute Leaders thru 9 Games

Garry Howatt 63

Duane Sutter 46

Clark Gillies 44

The Isles had advanced to the Semi-Finals for the fifth time in sixth seasons. They would have a lot of time to prepare; while their eventual opponent the Sabres had already won their series, the NHL reseeded teams in each round.  It would take a Minnesota upset of Montreal (in game 7) to create an Islander-Sabre series for the third time in five years.  That series began in Buffalo on April 29th, so we'll pick up the story next Wednesday, the 40th anniversary of Game 1.