Islanders–Penguins rivalry
| First meeting | October 17, 1972[1] |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | March 9, 2023 |
| Next meeting | December 27, 2023 |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 305 |
| All-time series | 144–139–22 (PIT) |
| Regular season series | 130–118–22 (PIT) |
| Postseason results | 21–14 (NYI) |
| Largest victory | NYI 9–0 PIT October 14, 1982 January 9, 1986 |
| Longest win streak | NYI W6 |
| Current win streak | NYI W4 |
| Postseason history | |
| |
The Islanders–Penguins rivalry is a National Hockey League (NHL) rivalry between the New York Islanders and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Both teams compete in the NHL's Eastern Conference's Metropolitan Division.
The Islanders and Penguins have been rivals since the mid-1970s. These two teams have met in the playoffs six times, with the Islanders winning five of the six playoff series.
History[edit]
1970s[edit]
In 1975, the Islanders won the next four games after the Penguins led their playoff series against the Islanders 3–0, becoming only the second team in NHL history (after the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs) to win a playoff series after trailing 3–0.
1980s[edit]
In 1982, the Islanders and Penguins met in the opening round of the playoffs. The Isles were the two time defending Stanley Cup champions and appeared to be on their way to the second round after winning the first two games at home outscoring the Pens 15–3. But when the series moved to Pittsburgh, the Pens showed that they were a different team on their home ice, as they avoided elimination by winning the next two games at home, sending the series back to Long Island. At home for the fifth and deciding game, the Islanders trailed 3–1 late in the 3rd period with 5:27 to go in the game. Just as it appeared that the Islanders two-year reign was going to come to an end, Mike McEwen scored to cut the Penguins lead to 3–2. Still trailing late in the period, exactly three minutes after McEwen's goal, John Tonelli scored a goal to tie the game and sent it to overtime. At 6:19 of the extra session, Tonelli scored the game winner to complete the comeback, giving the Islanders a 4–3 victory and a 3–2 series win. This scare by Pittsburgh would serve as a wake up call to the Islanders, who would lose just two more games the rest of the way en route to their third straight Stanley Cup. The Penguins would not return to the playoffs again until 1989, the fifth year of the Mario Lemieux era.
1990s[edit]
In 1993, the teams met the Patrick Division final. The Penguins were the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions and in search of their third straight title. They had won the Presidents' Trophy with 119 points and were coming off a five-game series win over the New Jersey Devils in the opening round. Meanwhile, the Islanders who finished the season with 87 points, 32 behind Pittsburgh, were coming off a six-game series win over the Washington Capitals in the opening round, but the win came at a price. Pierre Turgeon suffered a separated shoulder on a vicious check by Washington's Dale Hunter after scoring a goal late in the deciding game. The teams split the first four games before the Pens won game five by a score of 6–3. Faced with elimination, the Islanders won game six at home by a score of 7–5. In game seven, the Islanders lead 3–1 late in the third period when Ron Francis scored to cut the lead to 3–2. Then, with one minute left in the game, Rick Tocchet scored to force sudden death overtime. Then at 5:16 of overtime, David Volek, who was a healthy scratch often during the regular season, scored the series-winning goal, ending the Penguins' chances at a three-peat.
2010s and 2020s[edit]
On February 11, 2011, the teams engaged in a vicious brawl. In the game (which the Islanders dominated the Penguins 9–3) the teams combined for 65 penalties, which included 15 fighting majors and 21 game misconducts, resulting in a combined total of 346 penalty minutes. The two teams met in the 2013 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, with the Penguins coming out on top in six games.[2] Both teams met in the 2019 Eastern Conference first round and the 2021 East Division first round, where the Penguins were favored both times, the former despite being the lower seed, but the Islanders swept the series in 2019 and defeated them in six games in 2021,[3] marking the first time the Islanders clinched a playoff series at Nassau Coliseum since 1993 and the last time the Islanders have won a playoff series in the venue, as they moved to UBS Arena in the 2021–22 season.[4]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
Attribution:
- This article incorporates material derived from the "NHL Rivalries" article on the NHL Wiki at Fandom (formerly Wikia) and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License (October 2023).
- ↑ "Series Records : Pittsburgh Penguins(H) against New York Islanders(A)". mcubed.net. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ↑ Hornick, Eric (April 30, 2013). "The Skinny on Islanders-Penguins Playoff Rivalry". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L. P. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ↑ Suleymanov, Mark (April 16, 2019). "NHL playoffs 2019: Islanders complete first playoff sweep since 1983 Stanley Cup clincher". sportingnews.com. Sporting News Holdings Limited. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
- ↑ "Islanders defeat Penguins in Game 6, win first-round series". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L. P. May 27, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
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