The Islanders won 22 of the first 27 overtime playoff games in their history. Clutch goals scored in sudden death enabled them to build a reputation as a formidable postseason opponent and ultimately formed the foundation of their dynasty.
The very first of those OT goals was scored by J.P. Parise in the deciding game of a best-of-three series against the Rangers in 1975. And it happened on the very first shift of overtime.
Today, John Tavares’ winning goal against Washington was eerily similar to Parise’s winner at Madison Square Garden 40 years ago. Now, as then, the Islanders won the OT face-off, dumped the puck into the opponent’s zone, and sneaked the winning goal inside the post to the goalie’s right before the opponent could even clear the puck to center ice. Now, as then, the victory made the score of the series 2-games-to-1 in favor of the Islanders. The losing goalie then was Ed Giacomin, wearing a white jersey with blue numerals and red hockey shorts. The losing goalie today was Braden Holtby, also wearing a white jersey with blue numerals and red hockey shorts. The Capitals added to the déjà vu by choosing to go with their throwback uniforms, the ones they wore in their debut season of 1974-75 — the season when Parise scored against Giacomin.
When the Celtics were playing their last season at Boston Garden and the Canadiens were bidding farewell to the Montreal Forum, much of the talk centered around the ghosts in those iconic buildings. Why was it that strange things seemed to happen when those dynastic teams were teetering on the brink of defeat, unforeseen strokes of good fortune that enabled the home team to emerge victorious?
This season, of course, is the Islanders’ last at Nassau Coliseum. And while the hockey greats who built the Islanders’ dynasty are still alive and kicking — including general manager Bill Torrey and coach Al Arbour — J.P. Parise (father of Minnesota Wild star and former New Jersey Devil Zach Parise) died of cancer in January at the age of 73.
Not to sound macabre, but shortly after Holtby’s attempt to clear the puck landed squarely on Tavares’ stick and Tavares sent the puck behind Holtby’s leg and into the net for the winning goal, I thought of J.P. Parise.
The most memorable games of the Isles’ 19 straight series wins from 1980-84 were the ones they won in OT: Bobby Nystrom in 1980, John Tonelli in ’82, Ken Morrow in ’84. But before today, it had been 22 years since the Islanders last won a playoff game in OT. Following David Volek’s Game 7 stunner that ended the Pittsburgh Penguins’ reign as champions in 1993, the Islanders lost six straight sudden-death games. Two of those came in their most recent playoff appearance, against Pittsburgh in 2013. In that series, each team beat the other in regulation twice, but the Penguins survived in six because they won both of the games that went to overtime. The series-ending goal was scored by defense-minded defenseman Brooks Orpik, who has scored just three goals since then (and none this season).
Today, Orpik plays for the Capitals, who like the Penguins in 2013 were unwelcome visitors to Nassau Coliseum for Game 3 of a first-round series. And again, puck drop was scheduled for early afternoon on a sunny Sunday with the game nationally televised on NBC.
Orpik was on the ice for the deciding goal again, but this time he could only stand and watch in front of his net as Tavares’ shot eluded Holtby. The Islanders had changed the ending for him by rediscovering what made them great — playoff heroics in OT.
Now the Islanders own a 30-13 all-time OT record, including two of the six fastest overtime goals in Stanley Cup playoff history. Parise’s goal at 11 seconds started a trend of postseason success. The Islanders hope Tavares’ goal at 15 seconds does the same.
Question for Game 4: Will the Islanders find a way to control the action in the third period, or will they once again spend the final 20 minutes struggling to get out of their own zone? Today marked the second straight game they allowed Nicklas Backstrom to score the tying goal for Washington in the third.
Filed April 19, 2015
Sources: NHL.com, hockey-reference.com, NBC, ESPN
