#3: New York Islanders impedes Penguins Potential Three Straight Cups- 1993 Patrick Division Finals
As the Pittsburgh Penguins entered the 1992-93 season, they had only one thing in mind. That was to make history. The squad from the Steel City was on the verge of becoming only the third franchise since the expansion of 1967 to win three consecutive Stanley Cups. The first two were the Montreal Canadiens who won from 1975-75 to 1978-79 and the New York Islanders who won from 1979-80 to 1982-83. Bothe of those teams actually won four Cups in a row.
The Penguins were returning the main core back for another crack at the Cup. Of course, the two main guys leading the way were Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jágr. Accompanying those two with at least 90 points were Kevin Stevens, Ron Francis, and Rick Tocchet. Defenseman Larry Murphy was also able to net in an 85 point season from the backend. Joe Mullen and Shawn McEachern were also able to put up solid numbers.
Pittsburgh also had a great goalie tandem with Tom Barrasso as the started and Ken Wregget as the backup. Scotty Bowman was the head coach and the Pens would end up racing towards to the still best regular season in franchise history. The team was in the top 5 for goals for and against. In the opening round, they took out the New Jersey Devils in five games, which included a 7-0 romp in game 2.
On the other side of the spectrum were the New York Islanders. They weren’t a bad team but they were mediocre at best and just squeaked into the postseason. The glory days of the 80s’ were long gone but legendary coach Al Arbour was still in charge of running the ship. The great thing about this group was they could score quite a ton. The finished 6th in total goals so they could match the Pens blow for blow on offense.
Their defense was fine. It was nothing amazing but it could get the job or limiting scoring chances done. Needless to say the defense was capable. The face of the team was high scoring centerman Pierre Turgeon who tallied 58 goals and 74 assists for 132 points. The forward core also consisted of several more options offensively.
This group included Steve Thomas, Derek King, captain Pat Flatley and Benoit Hogue. The backend also had a good amount of depth. Vladimir Malakov and Jeff Norton provided 50 point season and Uwe Krupp, Darius Kasparaitis, and Tom Kurvers provided some physicality and grit. The starting goalie spot was in good hands with Glenn Healy. In the opening round, New York took out the Washington Capitals in six games, which included three straight thrilling wins in overtime for the Isles.
When the series got started, the Islanders made many eyebrows raise when they went into Pittsburgh and stole a win. The game 1 victory included two shorthanded goals, one by Ray Ferraro, who by this point was on a tear in the playoffs, and Benoit Hogue. The final score was 3-2.
Pittsburgh would end up winning the next two games. Game 2 was a 3-0 shutout for Tom Barrasso. Game 3 would end up seeing the Pens take back home ice advantage in the Nassau Coliseum, winning the affair 3-1. Big guns Jaromir Jagr and Ron Francis would score a goal each in the win.
In game 4, the Islanders would tie up the series at two games a piece. It was a high scoring contest that was tied at 5 in the third period before Derek King netted the winner at the 12:11 mark. In game 5, the Penguins put New York on the brink of elimination following a two goal performance from Mario Lemieux and a 6-3 win.
In game 6, Steve Thomas scored a power play and even strength goal. They would tie up the series and force a scary game 7 for the Penguins. Game 6 would end up in a 7-5 score and by this point I’m sure the Pens were a bit rattled and alarmed that the opposition was with them in a series that should’ve been a cakewalk. Game 7 would end up going to overtime after the game was tied late by Rick Tocchet.
Just five minutes into the first overtime, David Volek would have his career defining moment as he scored in overtime to complete the upset. The Islanders won 4-3. In flash Pittsburgh’s potential dynasty would end and the superstar tandem of Lemieux and Jagr would never win a Stanley Cup again together. They would get close in 1996 but lost to the Florida Panthers again in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Islanders would lose to the eventual champion Montreal Canadiens in 5 games. They would only make the playoffs one more time during a dormant 1990s decade.