NEW JERSEY VS. TORONTO BUFFALO VS. PITTSBURGH COLORADO VS. LOS ANGELES DALLAS VS. ST. LOUIS

Thursday, April 26 Winning against the odds Joy Russo ESPN.com The shot heard 'round the hockey world took a different meaning for the New York Islanders in 1993. Islanders 4, Penguins 3 Date Result Goalie 5/2 Isles 3, Pens 2 Healy 5/4 Pens 3, Isles 0 Barrasso 5/6 Penguins 3, Islanders 1 Barrasso 5/8 Isles 6, Pens 5 Healy 5/10 Pens 6, Isles 3 Barrasso 5/12 Isles 7, Pens 5 Healy 5/14 Isles 4, Pens 3 Healy On the verge of eliminating the Capitals – a feat not many thought the Isles were capable of – New York's top player, Pierre Turgeon, was blindsided by Washington's Dale Hunter after the center's goal gave the Islanders a 5-1 lead. The hit resulted in a third-degree shoulder separation and a concussion that would keep Turgeon out two weeks and a 21-game suspension for Hunter, the longest in NHL history at the time. As if the crime without retribution in kind wasn't enough, New York's next opponent was Mario Lemieux and the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins. If the Islanders received little respect entering their series against the Capitals, they didn't get any heading into the Igloo for Game 1. With an aching back forcing Lemieux to leave Game 1 and sit out the next game, the Islanders were able to split the first two games in Pittsburgh before heading back to Nassau Coliseum. Though none of the next four games went into overtime, results like 3-1, 6-5, 6-3 and 7-5 made them seem like marathons. It all lead up to a decisive Game 7 in Pittsburgh – what most called a gimme for the Pens. The turnaround? Turgeon sparingly returned to the lineup for the Islanders, who set the tone early when Rich Pilon collided with Kevin Stevens. Unprepared for the hit, Stevens hit the ice head-first and was knocked unconscious suffering a concussion and a broken nose. With the game tied at 1 entering the third, the Islanders jumped out to a 3-1 lead and acted as surprised as the Igloo's sellout crowd. A mini-collapse led to two goals by Ron Francis and Rick Tocchet that forced overtime. It was only fitting that Ray Ferraro would spearhead the Islander offense in OT – he would finish with 13 goals in 18 games that postseason. Ferraro came up center ice on a 3-on-1 with Derek King and David Volek on the right. Just over the blue line, Ferraro chipped the puck to Volek, who one-timed it past Tom Barrasso at 5:16. The Islanders would lose to eventual Cup champion Montreal in the conference finals, but New York managed to pull off one of the biggest upsets in the club's history – without its best players and with the odds against them. And they stopped Pittsburgh's run at a three-peat in the process. The MVP Ray Ferraro. After netting 27 points in just 46 games during the regular season, Ferraro lit it up in the playoffs. Along with his 13 goals, he added seven assists for 20 points in 18 games. He scored two consecutive OT-winners in the Captials series, filled in on the top power-play unit with King and Steve Thomas after Turgeon's injury and then sets up the series-clinching goal. It doesn't get more clutch than that. Joy Russo is a staff editor for ESPN.com Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories