classic game: april 9, 1990
By Stan Fischler
Comeback ability always has been an Islanders trademark; it's just that usually such dramatic rallies seem all but impossible. Yet, the Nassaumen inevitably beat the odds. Such was the case on April 9, 1990 in the third game of a best-of-five playoff series against the Rangers.
Coach Al Arbour already was without his best forward, Pat LaFontaine, who had been hospitalized by a double-dip -- James Patrick-Chris Nilan huge hit in the series’ first game. Meanwhile, Blueshirts coach Roger Neilson revved up the series intensity by pushing for more aggressive play to close out the best-of-five tournament.
With the Rangers leading two games to none, the confident Patrick Division champions ran up a 3-1 lead in Game Three at the Coliseum behind the strong goaltending of John Vanbiesbrouck. There were no signs that the Isles were capable of halting the Blueshirts’ blitz.
Except for one thing; there still was time.
The home club needed a break and got one midway in the third period when Kelly Kisio of the visitors was caught slashing and sent to the sinbin for two minutes. Arbour's power play formation swung into action and with less than nine minutes remaining, a couple of the clutch guys came through.
Brent Sutter was the architect, skimming a pass along the goal line that Patrick Flatley converted at 11:47. The Coliseum's decibel count soared, and so did the Islanders’ spirits.
Less than a minute-and-a-half later Hubie McDonough snuck into scoring position just as Vanbiesbrouck tried to get up after making a sprawling save.
Too late. Hubie backhanded the rebound over the horizontal goalie. The score was tied, 3-3, and overtime was inevitable as both Beezer and Glenn Healy were at the top of their goaltending games.
Their perfection continued into the sudden death period when the dirty stuff came into play. With 10 seconds remaining in the first OT, forechecking Rangers forward Troy Mallette viciously smashed Islanders defenseman Jeff Norton from behind, literally crumpling him along the boards.
Knocked unconscious, Norton eventually was hospitalized. For his generous, behind-the-back hit, Mallette received a five-minute boarding major penalty along with a game misconduct just before a period-ending buzzer sounded.
With intermission underway, Arbour diagrammed a play that would give his guys the W. The blackboard told the story.
Looking very much as if it was pulled out of a hockey textbook, the power play originally was engineered when the Isles Czech forward David Volek lured a pair of Rangers to him. Volek, in turn, swiftly skimmed the puck across the slot to defenseman Jeff Finley.
Finding room between goalie Vanbiesbrouck and defenseman James Patrick, Finley bisected the enemy with a crisp pass that found Brent Sutter at the far post. One second short of the first minute of the second overtime, Sutter scored the easiest goal of his life.
The 4-3 sudden death winner got a Stanley Cup reaction from the Coliseum crowd.
It also reaffirmed the Islanders’ comeback ability despite the loss of two superior players. In a hockey sense, justice triumphed.