The 8th-seeded ’81-’82 New York Islanders are one-and-done in their first Ultimate NHL Playoff appearance when they were just a goal away from a sweep, but couldn’t get it done in double overtime in Game 4. The 25th-seeded ’83-’84 Washington Capitals pull off the upset and do so by becoming just the fifth team to come back from a 3-0 series deficit in UNP play history, this is including qualification tournaments
The Isles did have some good performances in this series and none more impressive than Mike Bossy. He was the best player in this series. He led New York in goals with 11 while the next highest mark was Bryan Trottier with five. John Tonelli let them in assists in the series with nine apples while Bossy was right behind him with eight. Bossy finished with 19 points in the seven games, by far the best mark in the series, and Tonelli was second with 12. Defenseman Gord Lane posted a team-high +4 plus/minus rating for the Isles while there was a three-way tie for second at +2 between Bossy, Tonelli and Trottier. Goaltending in this series was not all the great, despite the matchup. Billy Smith posted a 3-3-1 record for the Isles to go with a 3.43 goals against average and a .905 save percentage.
The Capitals had a much more balanced offensive attack than the Islanders and that mighty be the reason they were able to make the 3-0 series comeback. Mike Gartner, surprise, was Washington’s leading goal-scorer in the series with five goals. There was a four-way tie for second behind Gartner at three goals, including Alan Haworth, Dave Christian and defenseman Scott Stevens. Stevens, by the way, was ejected for the second time in this tournament when he was given the boot for head-butting in the second period of Game 6. Haworth was also tied with Bob Carpenter for the team-lead in assists with five apiece. There was a three-way tie for second with four assists between Gartner, Timo Blomqvist and defenseman Larry Murphy. Gartner stood alone with nine points atop Washington’s overall scoring leaderboard while Haworth was second with eight. There was a five-way tie for the team lead in plus/minus at +3, including Haworth, Murphy and Stevens. Goaltender Al Jensen certainly wasn’t the reason for the series win. Despite his 4-2-1 record, he posted a 3.57 goals against average and a .887 save save percentage.
Here are this series’ links:
- Game Boxscores/Results
- Team Stats
- Islanders Skater Stats
- Capitals Skater Stats
- Islanders Goalie Stats
- Capitals Goalie Stats
Three Stars of the Series:
- NYI – RW – Mike Bossy – 11 G 8 A 19 P +2 76 S 1 GWG 12 Star Points
- WSH – RW – Mike Gartner – 5 G 4 A 9 P -2 41 S 1 GWG 2 PIM 6 Star Points
- NYI – C – Bryan Trottier – 5 G 6 A 11 P +2 40 S 6 PIM 4 Star Points
GAME 1:
1st Period | 2nd Period | 3rd Period | Overtime | Total | |
#25 ‘83-’84 Capitals | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
#8 ‘81-’82 Islanders | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 4 |
GAME SUMMARY: ‘81-’82 NYI – 4 ‘83-’84 WSH – 1 (1-0 ‘81-’82 NYI)
1st Period:
- 1 – 0 NYI – 6:32 – PP – NYI: B. Trottier (1) assisted by J. Tonelli (1), D. Potvin (1)
2nd Period:
- 2 – 0 NYI – 1:15 – PP – NYI: J. Tonelli (1) assisted by S. Persson (1), B. Bourne (1)
- 2 – 1 NYI – 7:39 – WSH: A. Haworth (6) assisted by M. Gartner (6)
- 3 – 1 NYI – 11:55 – PP – NYI: M. Bossy (1) assisted by B. Trottier (1), J. Tonelli (2)
3rd Period:
- 4 – 1 NYI – 6:26 – NYI: M. Bossy (2) assisted by B. Trottier (2), J. Tonelli (3)
TEAM STATS:
#25 ‘83-’84 Capitals |
#8 ‘81-’82 Islanders |
|
1 |
Goals |
4 |
32 |
Shots |
26 |
0/3 |
PP |
3/3 |
0/3 |
SH |
3/3 |
0% |
PP% |
100% |
0% |
PK% |
100% |
— |
GWG |
J. Tonelli (1) |
STARS OF THE GAME:
- 1st Star: John Tonelli (NYI)
- 2nd Star: Bryan Trottier (NYI)
- 3rd Star: Mike Bossy (NYI)
GAME 2:
1st Period | 2nd Period | 3rd Period | Overtime | Total | |
#25 ‘83-’84 Capitals | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
#8 ‘81-’82 Islanders | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
GAME SUMMARY: ‘81-’82 NYI – 4 ‘83-’84 WSH – 3 (OT) (2-0 ‘81-’82 NYI)
1st Period:
- 1 – 0 NYI – 0:25 – NYI: B. Trottier (2) assisted by M. Bossy (1) assisted by M. McEwen (1)
- 1 – 1 tie – 3:33 – WSH: B. Gustafsson (6) assisted by B. Carpenter (8), L. Murphy (4)
- 2 – 1 NYI – 11:51 – NYI: M. Bossy (3) assisted by C. Gillies (1), S. Persson (2)
- 2 – 2 tie – 19:05 – WSH: S. Stevens (1) assisted by M. Gartner (7), A. Haworth (2)
2nd Period:
- 3 – 2 NYI – 2:58 – NYI: J. Tonelli (2) assisted by M. Bossy (2)
- 3 – 3 tie – 10:02 – WSH: D. Christian (2) assisted by D. Jarvis (4), T. Blomqvist (3)
3rd Period:
Overtime:
- 4 – 3 NYI – 0:48 – PP – NYI: B. Bourne (1) assisted by M. McEwen (2)
TEAM STATS:
#25 ‘83-’84 Capitals |
#8 ‘81-’82 Islanders |
|
3 |
Goals |
4 |
34 |
Shots |
36 |
0/1 |
PP |
1/1 |
0/1 |
SH |
1/1 |
0% |
PP% |
100% |
0% |
PK% |
100% |
— |
GWG |
B. Bourne (1) |
STARS OF THE GAME:
- 1st Star: Mike Bossy (NYI)
- 2nd Star: Bengt-Ake Gustafsson (WSH)
- 3rd Star: Bryan Trottier (NYI)
GAME 3:
1st Period | 2nd Period | 3rd Period | Overtime | Total | |
#8 ‘81-’82 Islanders | 5 | 0 | 2 | — | 7 |
#25 ‘83-’84 Capitals | 2 | 0 | 1 | — | 3 |
GAME SUMMARY: ‘81-’82 NYI – 4 ‘83-’84 WSH – 3 (OT) (3-0 ‘81-’82 NYI)
1st Period:
- 1 – 0 NYI – 6:29 – NYI: M. Bossy (4) unassisted
- 1 – 1 tie – 10:02 – SH – WSH: C. Valentine (1) assisted by S. Stevens (7), G. Adams (3)
- 2 – 1 NYI – 11:11 – PP – NYI: M. Bossy (5) assisted by M. McEwen (3), J. Tonelli (4)
- 2 – 2 tie – 14:01 – WSH: M. Gartner (3) assisted by B. Carpenter (9)
- 3 – 2 NYI – 14:08 – NYI: B. Trottier (3) assisted by G. Lane (1)
- 4 – 2 NYI – 16:03 – NYI: M. Bossy (6) assisted by S. Persson (3)
- 5 – 2 NYI – 18:42 – NYI: B. Trottier (4) assisted by J. Tonelli (5), G. Lane (2)
- WSH replaces starting goalie A. Jensen with backup B. Mason
2nd Period:
3rd Period:
- 6 – 2 NYI – 11:26 – NYI: A. Kallur (1) assisted by D. Potvin (2), G. Lane (3)
- 7 – 2 NYI – 13:06 – PP – NYI: B. Bourne (2) assisted by S. Persson (4)
- 7 – 3 NYI – 16:53 – WSH: S. Stevens (2) assisted by D. Christian (3)
TEAM STATS:
#8 ‘81-’82 Islanders |
#25 ‘83-’84 Capitals |
|
7 |
Goals |
3 |
38 |
Shots |
33 |
2/4 |
PP |
0/2 |
2/2 |
SH |
2/4 |
50% |
PP% |
0% |
100% |
PK% |
50% |
M. Bossy (1) |
GWG |
— |
STARS OF THE GAME:
- 1st Star: Mike Bossy (NYI)
- 2nd Star: Gord Lane (NYI)
- 3rd Star: Bryan Trottier (NYI)
GAME 4:
1st Period | 2nd Period | 3rd Period | Double Overtime | Total | |
#8 ‘81-’82 Islanders | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
#25 ‘83-’84 Capitals | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
GAME SUMMARY: ‘83-’84 WSH – 4 ‘81-’82 NYI – 3 (2OT) (3-1 ‘81-’82 NYI)
1st Period:
- 1 – 0 NYI – 3:37 – NYI: M. Bossy (7) assisted by J. Tonelli (6)
- 2 – 0 NYI – 19:36 – NYI: D. Sutter (1) assisted by M. Bossy (3), G. Lane (4)
- 3 – 0 NYI – 19:48 – NYI: J. Tonelli (3) assisted by M. Bossy (4), B. Trottier (3)
2nd Period:
- 3 – 1 WSH – 4:37 – PP – WSH: G. Duchesne (2) assisted by B. Carpenter (10)
- 3 – 2 WSH – 5:29 – WSH: A. Haworth (7) assisted by M. Gartner (8)
3rd Period:
- 3 – 3 tie – 12:36 – WSH: R. Langway (3) assisted by G. McAdam (1), A. Haworth (3)
Second Overtime:
- 4 – 3 WSH – 17:36 – WSH: G. Duchesne (3) assisted by B. Gustafsson (3), B. Carpenter (11)
TEAM STATS:
#8 ‘81-’82 Islanders |
#25 ‘83-’84 Capitals |
|
3 |
Goals |
4 |
38 |
Shots |
56 |
0/2 |
PP |
1/6 |
5/6 |
SH |
2/2 |
0% |
PP% |
16% |
83% |
PK% |
100% |
— |
GWG |
G. Duchesne (1) |
STARS OF THE GAME:
- 1st Star: Gaetan Duchesne (WSH)
- 2nd Star: Billy Smith (NYI)
- 3rd Star: Mike Bossy (NYI)
GAME 5:
1st Period | 2nd Period | 3rd Period | Overtime | Total | |
#25 ‘83-’84 Capitals | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 |
#8 ‘81-’82 Islanders | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
GAME SUMMARY: ‘83-’84 WSH – 2 ‘81-’82 NYI – 1 (3-2 ‘81-’82 NYI)
1st Period:
- 1 – 0 WSH – 19:36 – WSH: B. Carpenter (3) assisted by B. Gustafsson (4), T. Blomqvist (4)
2nd Period:
- 1 – 1 tie – 1:09 – NYI: C. Gillies (1) assisted by B. Trottier (4), M. Bossy (5)
- 2 – 1 WSH – 13:58 – WSH: G. Duchesne (4) assisted by B. Gustafsson (5)
3rd Period:
TEAM STATS:
#25 ‘83-’84 Capitals |
#8 ‘81-’82 Islanders |
|
2 |
Goals |
1 |
33 |
Shots |
30 |
0/2 |
PP |
0/2 |
2/2 |
SH |
2/2 |
0% |
PP% |
0% |
100% |
PK% |
100% |
G. Duchesne (2) |
GWG |
— |
STARS OF THE GAME:
- 1st Star: Al Jensen (WSH)
- 2nd Star: Billy Smith (NYI)
- 3rd Star: Bengt-Ake Gustafsson (WSH)
GAME 6:
1st Period | 2nd Period | 3rd Period | Overtime | Total | |
#8 ‘81-’82 Islanders | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 |
#25 ‘83-’84 Capitals | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 3 |
GAME SUMMARY: ‘83-’84 WSH – 3 ‘81-’82 NYI – 2 (3-3)
1st Period:
- 1 – 0 NYI – 5:26 – NYI: M. Bossy (8) assisted by C. Gillies (2), M. McEwen (4)
- 1 – 1 tie – 8:34 – WSH: M. Gartner (4) assisted by A. Haworth (4), S. Stevens (8)
2nd Period:
- 2 – 1 WSH – 8:08 – WSH: D. Christian (3) assisted by D. Shand (4)
- 2 – 2 tie – 16:04 – NYI: B. Trottier (5) assisted by J. Tonelli (7), M. Bossy (6)
- 17:13 – S. Stevens (WSH) ejected for head-butting
3rd Period:
- 3 – 2 – WSH – 8:40 – WSH: M. Gartner (5) assisted by A. Haworth (5)
TEAM STATS:
#8 ‘81-’82 Islanders |
#25 ‘83-’84 Capitals |
|
2 |
Goals |
3 |
30 |
Shots |
26 |
0/3 |
PP |
— |
— |
SH |
3/3 |
0% |
PP% |
— |
— |
PK% |
100% |
— |
GWG |
M. Gartner (1) |
STARS OF THE GAME:
- 1st Star: Mike Gartner (WSH)
- 2nd Star: Mike Bossy (NYI)
- 3rd Star: Al Jensen (WSH)
GAME 7:
1st Period | 2nd Period | 3rd Period | Overtime | Total | |
#25 ‘83-’84 Capitals | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | 8 |
#8 ‘81-’82 Islanders | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | 6 |
GAME SUMMARY: ‘83-’84 WSH – 8 ‘81-’82 NYI – 6 (4-3 ‘83-’84 WSH)
1st Period:
- 1 – 0 NYI – 0:18 – NYI: D. Potvin (1) assisted by J. Tonelli (8), M. Bossy (7)
- 1 – 1 tie – 3:04 – WSH: B. Carpenter (4) assisted by T. Blomqvist (5), D. Christian (4)
- 2 – 1 WSH – 8:27 – WSH: B. Gustafsson (7) assisted by S. Stevens (9), L. Murphy (5)
- 3 – 1 WSH – 13:51 – WSH: A. Haworth (8) assisted by G. McAdam (2)
- 3 – 2 WSH – 14:57 – NYI: M. Bossy (9) assisted by J. Tonelli (9), B. Trottier (5)
- 3 – 3 tie – 16:47 – NYI: B. Bourne (3) assisted by M. Bossy (8), M. McEwen (5)
2nd Period:
- 4 – 3 WSH – 1:24 – WSH: S. Stevens (3) assisted by M. Gartner (9), A. Haworth (6)
- 5 – 3 WSH – 2:17 – WSH: D. Christian (4) assisted by T. Blomqvist (6), R. Langway (2)
- 6 – 3 WSH – 10:33 – PP – WSH: M. Gartner (6) assisted by L. Murphy (6), B. Carpenter (12)
- 6 – 4 WSH – 17:16 – NYI: M. Bossy (10) assisted by B. Trottier (6)
- 6 – 5 WSH – 19:15 – NYI: B. Bourne (4) assisted by D. Sutter (1)
3rd Period:
- 6 – 6 tie – 2:24 – NYI: M. Bossy (11) assisted by D. Potvin (3)
- 7 – 6 WSH – 7:58 – WSH: D. Jarvis (2) assisted by D. Christian (6), L. Murphy (7)
- 8 – 6 WSH – 14:52 – WSH: M. Gartner (7) assisted by G. McAdam (3)
TEAM STATS:
#25 ‘83-’84 Capitals |
#8 ‘81-’82 Islanders |
|
8 |
Goals |
6 |
38 |
Shots |
45 |
1/3 |
PP |
— |
— |
SH |
2/3 |
33% |
PP% |
— |
— |
PK% |
66% |
D. Jarvis (1) |
GWG |
— |
STARS OF THE GAME:
- 1st Star: Mike Gartner (WSH)
- 2nd Star: Mike Bossy (NYI)
- 3rd Star: Dave Christian (WSH)
The ’83-’84 Capitals continue already Washington’s best UNP as they make their first appearance in the Third Round. Last year’s representative was swept out of the First Round. The ’81-’82 Islanders are one and down in their first ever trip to the UNP as they cannot match last year’s representative, who were eliminated in the Third Round by the hated Rangers. The ’83-’84 Caps will now face the 24th-seeded ’99-’00 Florida Panthers in the Third Round, who upset the 9th-seeded ’19-’20 Ottawa Senators in the Second Round!
Up next in the Second Round are the 6th-seeded ’84-’85 Edmonton Oilers and the 27th-seeded ’82-’83 Minnesota North Stars!