NHL: 30 best series winning goals in NHL Playoffs history

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
11. Bob Nystrom beats the Flyers

It looks very strange to see the New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers face each other in the Stanley Cup Final, but that’s how things went in the 1980 playoffs. This was also the start of something very special on Long Island. This Islanders team was all hitting their stride at the same time, but who knows what would have happened if the Flyers found a way to win Game 6 in overtime. History has a funny way of changing on a dime.

Game 6 was a roller coaster of emotions. The Flyers scored first on the power play. The Islanders immediately responded with two goals to take the lead in the first period. Before the period ended, Brian Propp tied the game. Mike Bossy and Bob Nystrom both scored in the second period to give the Islanders a commanding lead. However, the Flyers responded with two of their own in the third period. This one was going to overtime.

Did we mention this was a chippy game? A total of 33 penalties were called. No, not 33 PIMs, there were 33 separate penalties called in the deciding game of a Stanley Cup Final. It only made sense that these two teams needed an extra period to pick a winner. That’s where the Islanders found themselves a hero.

Nystrom would score his second goal of the game to give the Islanders their first win of the dynasty. Look at Nystrom’s line for this game: two goals, four shots, and 21 penalty minutes. Now that’s an 80s hockey player stat line if we’ve ever seen one. Two stick-to-stick passes changed the history of the Islanders. No matter what happens to them this year, they will always have this dynasty and the walk-off fashion in which it started.