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 Isles take bite out of bigger apple Joy Russo ESPN.com Although the area knew it would house another hockey team in 1972, there was one team in New York – the Rangers. In 1975, the Islanders changed all that, and sparked a new hockey dynasty in the process. Islanders 2, Rangers 1 Date Result Goalie 4/8 Isles 3, Rangers 2 Resch 4/10 Rangers 8, Isles 3 Giacomin 4/11 Isles 4, Rangers 3 Resch During the previous season, the Islanders got a jolt after drafting a young defenseman named Denis Potvin. Many touted Potvin as the next Bobby Orr, but the difference was, Potvin liked to hit as much as he like to score goals. It was the perfect centerpiece. The Islanders improved 32 points in the regular-season standings from the previous year and wound up in a divisional tie with the Rangers even though the Blueshirts had four more wins. So the matchup was set, but not many gave the Isles a chance in the best-of-3 series. They were the young, inexperienced franchise going up against seasoned veterans like Rod Gilbert, Jean Ratelle, Brad Park and Ed Giacomin. Behind Clark Gillies' late goal and some key saves by Chico Resch, the Islanders came back to take Game 1 at the Garden. The boost was only thwarted by the Rangers' 8-3 win that tied the series. The Islanders took control again in the decisive Game 3, breaking out to a 3-0 lead before the Rangers clawed back to force overtime. The turnaround The improbable took only 11 seconds. After Jude Drouin won the opening faceoff in overtime, he recovered a dumped puck in the Rangers zone and made a pass to J.P. Parise, who scored to win the game and the series for the Islanders. It was the quickest overtime goal in NHL history. Was this the single most important game for the Islanders' franchise? You bet. The Isles would appear in the next 13 postseasons and win four straight Stanley Cup titles (1980-83). Series MVP The Islanders staff. General manager Bill Torrey and coach Al Arbour helped craft a chemistry that worked for the young organization. In their first playoff appearance, the Islanders won, and would go on to win their first Cup long before the Rangers would end their drought. Joy Russo is a staff editor for ESPN.com Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories