NEW JERSEY VS. CAROLINA OTTAWA VS. TORONTO WASHINGTON VS. PITTSBURGH PHILADELPHIA VS. BUFFALO COLORADO VS. VANCOUVER DETROIT VS. LOS ANGELES DALLAS VS. EDMONTON ST. LOUIS VS. SAN JOSE

Thursday, April 26 Going on an egg hunt Joy Russo ESPN.com The New York Islanders quickly made history in the early '80s, winning four straight Stanley Cups (1980-83). Although the Islanders have not won a title since, that does not mean they didn't make more memorable hockey. N.Y. Islanders 4, Washington 3 Date Result Goalie 4/8 Caps 4, Isles 3 Mason 4/9 Isles 3, Caps 1 Hrudey 4/11 Caps 2, Isles 0 Mason 4/12 Caps 4, Isles 1 Mason 4/14 Isles 4, Caps 2 Hrudey 4/16 Isles 5, Caps 4 Hrudey 4/18 Isles 3, Caps 2 Hrudey Case in point – New York's Patrick Division semifinal series vs. the Washington Capitals in 1987. It was the fifth straight time the two teams met in the playoffs, and the fourth in as many years they faced off in the opening round. So the two teams weren't strangers to one another, but many factors made this series stand out from the rest. The odds were starting to mount against the Isles, who entered the postseason without injured veterans Denis Potvin, Brent Sutter and Mike Bossy. The void showed after the Caps took Games 3 and 4 at Nassau Coliseum to build a seemingly insurmountable 3-1 series lead. Even though the Isles clawed back to tie it, they still had to try and win Game 7 on the road. Before the game even began on April 18, 1997, the Capitals and Islanders already made history – there had never been a decisive game in the first round. But after the game would end, it would be forever known as The Easter Epic. The turnaround? The way Pat LaFontaine tells the story, a former Islanders equipment manager told the player during a time out that he would score the game-winner on the next shift. The next thing LaFontaine heard was music from The Twilight Zone playing in the arena. Hmmm. The next thing to happen? LaFontaine scored on a shot that deflected off of Capitals defenseman Rod Langway's stick and got past goalie Bob Mason to give the Islanders a 3-2 win at 8:47 in the fourth overtime that sent them to the division final. The final numbers ... The game lasted six hours and 16 minutes and was the sixth longest in NHL history. And the game that began on a Saturday night ended at about 2 a.m. Easter morning. The Islanders also raised their playoff overtime record to an impressive 21-6. Series MVP Pat LaFontaine was already a favorite amongst Isles fans, but not many outside the Island would forget him after the memorable shot. Kelly Hrudey made 72 saves for New York in Game 7. But give the entire team credit for beating the proverbial odds and mounting the best comeback since 1975 – the Isles erased a 3-0 hole to beat the Pens in the quarters. Joy Russo is a staff editor for ESPN.com Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories