# 1981–82 New York Islanders season

The 1981–82 New York Islanders season was the 10th season in the franchise's history. It involved winning the Stanley Cup.

## Offseason
### NHL Draft

| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 21 | Paul Boutilier | Canada | Sherbrooke Castors (QMJHL) |
| 2 | 42 | Gord Dineen | Canada | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OMJHL) |
| 3 | 57 | Ron Handy | Canada | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OMJHL) |
| 3 | 63 | Neal Coulter | Canada | Toronto Marlboros (OMJHL) |
| 4 | 84 | Todd Lumbard | Canada | Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) |
| 5 | 94 | Jacques Sylvestre | Canada | Sorel Eperviers (QMJHL) |
| 5 | 105 | Moe Lemay | Canada | Ottawa 67's (OMJHL) |
| 6 | 126 | Chuck Brimmer | Canada | Kingston Canadians (OMJHL) |
| 7 | 147 | Teppo Virta | Finland | TPS (Finland) |
| 8 | 168 | Bill Dowd | Canada | Ottawa 67's (OMJHL) |
| 9 | 189 | Scott MacLellan | Canada | Burlington Cougars (CBJHL) |
| 10 | 210 | Dave Randerson | Canada | Stratford Cullitons (MWJBHL) |

## Regular season
### Season standings

Patrick Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PTS |
| New York Islanders | 80 | 54 | 16 | 10 | 385 | 250 | 118 |
| New York Rangers | 80 | 39 | 27 | 14 | 316 | 306 | 92 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 38 | 31 | 11 | 325 | 313 | 87 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 31 | 36 | 13 | 310 | 337 | 75 |
| Washington Capitals | 80 | 26 | 41 | 13 | 319 | 338 | 65 |
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

### Record vs. opponents

Patrick Division record vs. opponents :
Vs. Wales Conference
Vs. Patrick Division
1981–82 NHL records
Team
NYI
NYR
PHI
PIT
WSH
Total
N.Y. Islanders
—6−26−1−16−27−0−125−5−2
N.Y. Rangers
2−6—4−2−24−3−13−2−313−13−6
Philadelphia
1−6−12−4−2—5−2−13−4−111−16−5
Pittsburgh
2−63−4−12–5–1—5−2−112−17−3
Washington
0−7−12−3−34–3–12–5–1—8−18−6
Vs. Adams Division
1981–82 NHL records
Team
BOS
BUF
HFD
MTL
QUE
Total
N.Y. Islanders
1−21−22−0−12−11−1−17−6−2
N.Y. Rangers
1−22−0−11−1−11−21−1−16−6−3
Philadelphia
2−12−13−01−21−1−19−5−1
Pittsburgh
1−1−11−22−0−11−23−08−5−2
Washington
0−30−32−12−10−2−14−10−1
Vs. Campbell Conference
Vs. Norris Division
1981–82 NHL records
Team
CHI
DET
MIN
STL
TOR
WIN
Total
N.Y. Islanders
3−03−02−0−12−0−13−02−115−1−2
N.Y. Rangers
3−02−12−12−0−11−1−11−1−111−4−3
Philadelphia
1−1−12−0−11−1−13−02−11−210−5−3
Pittsburgh
0−1−21−21−21−20−1−22−15−9−4
Washington
1−21−0−20−2−12−12−12−18−7−3
Vs. Smythe Division
1981–82 NHL records
Team
CGY
COL
EDM
LAK
VAN
Total
N.Y. Islanders
1−0−22−0−11−1−11−22−17−4−4
N.Y. Rangers
2−0−12−0−10−32−13−09−4−2
Philadelphia
3−02−11−22−0−10−2−18−5−2
Pittsburgh
0−1−23−00−31−1−12−0−16−5−4
Washington
3−01−20−2−11−1−11−1−16−6−3 :

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

| No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
| 1 | W | October 7, 1981 | 4–1 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1981–82) | 1–0–0 |
| 2 | T | October 10, 1981 | 2–2 | @ Colorado Rockies (1981–82) | 1–0–1 |
| 3 | W | October 14, 1981 | 4–1 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1981–82) | 2–0–1 |
| 4 | W | October 15, 1981 | 4–1 | Vancouver Canucks (1981–82) | 3–0–1 |
| 5 | W | October 17, 1981 | 5–4 | New York Rangers (1981–82) | 4–0–1 |
| 6 | L | October 20, 1981 | 6–9 | Los Angeles Kings (1981–82) | 4–1–1 |
| 7 | W | October 23, 1981 | 4–2 | @ Washington Capitals (1981–82) | 5–1–1 |
| 8 | W | October 24, 1981 | 6–4 | Washington Capitals (1981–82) | 6–1–1 |
| 9 | W | October 27, 1981 | 4–3 | Edmonton Oilers (1981–82) | 7–1–1 |
| 10 | T | October 29, 1981 | 6–6 | @ Hartford Whalers (1981–82) | 7–1–2 |
| 11 | W | October 31, 1981 | 2–1 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1981–82) | 8–1–2 |
| 12 | T | November 3, 1981 | 2–2 | Calgary Flames (1981–82) | 8–1–3 |
| 13 | L | November 7, 1981 | 2–6 | Buffalo Sabres (1981–82) | 8–2–3 |
| 14 | W | November 10, 1981 | 5–3 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1981–82) | 9–2–3 |
| 15 | W | November 11, 1981 | 4–3 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82) | 10–2–3 |
| 16 | T | November 14, 1981 | 5–5 | Edmonton Oilers (1981–82) | 10–2–4 |
| 17 | L | November 15, 1981 | 4–5 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1981–82) | 10–3–4 |
| 18 | L | November 17, 1981 | 2–7 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1981–82) | 10–4–4 |
| 19 | W | November 21, 1981 | 4–3 | New York Rangers (1981–82) | 11–4–4 |
| 20 | W | November 22, 1981 | 7–2 | @ New York Rangers (1981–82) | 12–4–4 |
| 21 | W | November 24, 1981 | 3–1 | Boston Bruins (1981–82) | 13–4–4 |
| 22 | W | November 26, 1981 | 9–2 | St. Louis Blues (1981–82) | 14–4–4 |
| 23 | L | November 28, 1981 | 4–5 | @ Boston Bruins (1981–82) | 14–5–4 |
| 24 | L | November 29, 1981 | 2–5 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1981–82) | 14–6–4 |
| 25 | W | December 5, 1981 | 8–5 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1981–82) | 15–6–4 |
| 26 | L | December 6, 1981 | 2–5 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1981–82) | 15–7–4 |
| 27 | L | December 9, 1981 | 3–4 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1981–82) | 15–8–4 |
| 28 | T | December 12, 1981 | 3–3 | @ Calgary Flames (1981–82) | 15–8–5 |
| 29 | L | December 13, 1981 | 3–4 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1981–82) | 15–9–5 |
| 30 | W | December 15, 1981 | 10–7 | Quebec Nordiques (1981–82) | 16–9–5 |
| 31 | W | December 17, 1981 | 4–1 | Washington Capitals (1981–82) | 17–9–5 |
| 32 | W | December 19, 1981 | 5–1 | Detroit Red Wings (1981–82) | 18–9–5 |
| 33 | W | December 20, 1981 | 5–3 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1981–82) | 19–9–5 |
| 34 | W | December 22, 1981 | 5–2 | Winnipeg Jets (1981–82) | 20–9–5 |
| 35 | W | December 26, 1981 | 4–2 | Philadelphia Flyers (1981–82) | 21–9–5 |
| 36 | L | December 29, 1981 | 4–5 | Montreal Canadiens (1981–82) | 21–10–5 |
| 37 | L | December 30, 1981 | 4–6 | @ New York Rangers (1981–82) | 21–11–5 |
| 38 | W | January 2, 1982 | 5–3 | Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82) | 22–11–5 |
| 39 | W | January 4, 1982 | 4–1 | Vancouver Canucks (1981–82) | 23–11–5 |
| 40 | W | January 7, 1982 | 5–4 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1981–82) | 24–11–5 |
| 41 | W | January 9, 1982 | 3–1 | Philadelphia Flyers (1981–82) | 25–11–5 |
| 42 | L | January 14, 1982 | 4–5 | @ Boston Bruins (1981–82) | 25–12–5 |
| 43 | T | January 17, 1982 | 2–2 | @ Washington Capitals (1981–82) | 25–12–6 |
| 44 | L | January 20, 1982 | 2–3 | @ New York Rangers (1981–82) | 25–13–6 |
| 45 | W | January 21, 1982 | 6–1 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1981–82) | 26–13–6 |
| 46 | W | January 23, 1982 | 6–1 | New York Rangers (1981–82) | 27–13–6 |
| 47 | W | January 26, 1982 | 9–2 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1981–82) | 28–13–6 |
| 48 | W | January 27, 1982 | 6–3 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1981–82) | 29–13–6 |
| 49 | W | January 30, 1982 | 4–2 | Minnesota North Stars (1981–82) | 30–13–6 |
| 50 | W | February 2, 1982 | 7–6 | Washington Capitals (1981–82) | 31–13–6 |
| 51 | W | February 4, 1982 | 5–2 | @ Washington Capitals (1981–82) | 32–13–6 |
| 52 | W | February 6, 1982 | 6–2 | Detroit Red Wings (1981–82) | 33–13–6 |
| 53 | W | February 7, 1982 | 7–3 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1981–82) | 34–13–6 |
| 54 | W | February 11, 1982 | 8–2 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82) | 35–13–6 |
| 55 | W | February 13, 1982 | 8–2 | Philadelphia Flyers (1981–82) | 36–13–6 |
| 56 | W | February 14, 1982 | 9–1 | @ Hartford Whalers (1981–82) | 37–13–6 |
| 57 | W | February 16, 1982 | 6–2 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1981–82) | 38–13–6 |
| 58 | W | February 18, 1982 | 7–4 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1981–82) | 39–13–6 |
| 59 | W | February 20, 1982 | 3–2 | Colorado Rockies (1981–82) | 40–13–6 |
| 60 | L | February 21, 1982 | 3–4 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1981–82) | 40–14–6 |
| 61 | W | February 23, 1982 | 5–1 | Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82) | 41–14–6 |
| 62 | W | February 25, 1982 | 4–2 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1981–82) | 42–14–6 |
| 63 | T | February 27, 1982 | 5–5 | Quebec Nordiques (1981–82) | 42–14–7 |
| 64 | W | March 1, 1982 | 9–5 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82) | 43–14–7 |
| 65 | W | March 2, 1982 | 6–3 | Calgary Flames (1981–82) | 44–14–7 |
| 66 | W | March 4, 1982 | 10–1 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82) | 45–14–7 |
| 67 | W | March 6, 1982 | 6–4 | New York Rangers (1981–82) | 46–14–7 |
| 68 | W | March 9, 1982 | 6–4 | @ St. Louis Blues (1981–82) | 47–14–7 |
| 69 | T | March 10, 1982 | 4–4 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1981–82) | 47–14–8 |
| 70 | L | March 13, 1982 | 0–3 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1981–82) | 47–15–8 |
| 71 | W | March 17, 1982 | 5–2 | @ Colorado Rockies (1981–82) | 48–15–8 |
| 72 | T | March 20, 1982 | 3–3 | St. Louis Blues (1981–82) | 48–15–9 |
| 73 | W | March 21, 1982 | 3–2 | @ Washington Capitals (1981–82) | 49–15–9 |
| 74 | W | March 23, 1982 | 8–1 | Washington Capitals (1981–82) | 50–15–9 |
| 75 | W | March 25, 1982 | 3–1 | Montreal Canadiens (1981–82) | 51–15–9 |
| 76 | W | March 27, 1982 | 5–4 | Hartford Whalers (1981–82) | 52–15–9 |
| 77 | W | March 29, 1982 | 7–3 | @ New York Rangers (1981–82) | 53–15–9 |
| 78 | T | April 1, 1982 | 3–3 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1981–82) | 53–15–10 |
| 79 | W | April 3, 1982 | 6–3 | Philadelphia Flyers (1981–82) | 54–15–10 |
| 80 | L | April 4, 1982 | 2–7 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1981–82) | 54–16–10 |

## Player statistics

Regular season :
Scoring :
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Mike Bossy | RW | 80 | 64 | 83 | 147 | 22 | 69 | 17 | 0 | 10 |
| Bryan Trottier | C | 80 | 50 | 79 | 129 | 88 | 70 | 18 | 2 | 10 |
| John Tonelli | LW | 80 | 35 | 58 | 93 | 57 | 48 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Clark Gillies | LW | 79 | 38 | 39 | 77 | 75 | 39 | 8 | 0 | 5 |
| Denis Potvin | D | 60 | 24 | 37 | 61 | 83 | 38 | 11 | 1 | 4 |
| Bob Bourne | C | 76 | 27 | 26 | 53 | 77 | 27 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Duane Sutter | RW | 77 | 18 | 35 | 53 | 100 | 23 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike McEwen | D | 73 | 10 | 39 | 49 | 50 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Bob Nystrom | RW | 74 | 22 | 25 | 47 | 103 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Brent Sutter | C | 43 | 21 | 22 | 43 | 114 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Stefan Persson | D | 70 | 6 | 37 | 43 | 99 | 35 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Anders Kallur | RW | 58 | 18 | 22 | 40 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Wayne Merrick | C | 68 | 12 | 27 | 39 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Tomas Jonsson | D | 70 | 9 | 25 | 34 | 51 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Butch Goring | C | 67 | 15 | 17 | 32 | 10 | -3 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| Billy Carroll | C | 72 | 9 | 20 | 29 | 32 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Dave Langevin | D | 73 | 1 | 20 | 21 | 82 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ken Morrow | D | 75 | 1 | 18 | 19 | 56 | 53 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hector Marini | RW | 30 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 53 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Gord Lane | D | 51 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 98 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Greg Gilbert | LW | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Billy Smith | G | 46 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Boutilier | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Neil Hawryliw | RW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Roland Melanson | G | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goaltending :
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO |
| Billy Smith | 2685 | 46 | 32 | 9 | 4 | 133 | 2.97 | 0 |
| Roland Melanson | 2115 | 36 | 22 | 7 | 6 | 114 | 3.23 | 0 |
| Team: | 4800 | 80 | 54 | 16 | 10 | 247 | 3.09 | 0 |
Playoffs :
Scoring :
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Bryan Trottier | C | 19 | 6 | 23 | 29 | 40 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Mike Bossy | RW | 19 | 17 | 10 | 27 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| Denis Potvin | D | 19 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 30 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Bourne | C | 19 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 36 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| John Tonelli | LW | 19 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Stefan Persson | D | 13 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Clark Gillies | LW | 19 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 34 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| Wayne Merrick | C | 19 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Butch Goring | C | 19 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Bob Nystrom | RW | 15 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Duane Sutter | RW | 19 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 57 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Mike McEwen | D | 15 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Brent Sutter | C | 19 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Anders Kallur | RW | 19 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Dave Langevin | D | 19 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Billy Carroll | C | 19 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Gord Lane | D | 19 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 61 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ken Morrow | D | 19 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Greg Gilbert | LW | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tomas Jonsson | D | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Roland Melanson | G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Billy Smith | G | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goaltending :
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | GA | GAA | SO |
| Billy Smith | 1120 | 18 | 15 | 3 | 47 | 2.52 | 1 |
| Roland Melanson | 64 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4.69 | 0 |
| Team: | 1184 | 19 | 15 | 4 | 52 | 2.64 | 1 |
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals  MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts;

## Record Winning Streak

From January 21 to February 20 the Islanders set a National Hockey League record by winning 15 consecutive games. Since regular season overtime did not yet exist, all of these games had to be (and were) won in regulation time. During the streak, the Islanders outscored the opposition 97-35 for a +62 goal differential over the 15 games. The record was surpassed in 1993 by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who won 17 consecutive games, two of which were in overtime.

## Playoffs
### Patrick Division semi-finals
#### Islanders vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

The Islanders won the first two games of the best-of-5 series, outscoring Pittsburgh 15–3. The Penguins then came back to even the series with two victories of their own. In Game 5, the Islanders came from behind to win in overtime. The tying and winning goals were both scored by John Tonelli.
* April 7 Islanders 8, Penguins 1
* April 8 Islanders 7, Penguins 2
* April 10 Penguins 2, Islanders 1(OT)
* April 11 Penguins 5, Islanders 2
* April 13 Islanders 4, Penguins 3(OT)
Islanders win series, 3 games to 2

### Patrick Division Finals
#### Islanders vs. New York Rangers

After losing the opener, their first loss at home since December 29, the Islanders came back to win the next three games and, eventually, the series in six. The key goals were Bryan Trottier's overtime winner of Game 3 and Dave Langevin's in the third period of Game 6 that proved to be the series clincher.
* April 15 Rangers 5, Islanders 4
* April 16 Islanders 7, Rangers 2
* April 18 Islanders 4, Rangers 3(OT)
* April 19 Islanders 5, Rangers 3
* April 21 Rangers 4, Islanders 2
* April 23 Islanders 5, Rangers 3
Islanders win series, 4 games to 2

### Wales Conference Finals
#### Islanders vs. Quebec Nordiques

The Islanders defeated the Nords decisively in the first two games played at the Nassau Coliseum. In Quebec, they won Game 3 in overtime on a goal scored by Wayne Merrick and finished the sweep three days later to advance to the Finals.
* April 27 Islanders 4, Nordiques 1
* April 29 Islanders 5, Nordiques 2
* May 1 Islanders 5, Nordiques 4(OT)
* May 4 Islanders 4, Nordiques 2
Islanders win series, 4 games to 0

### Stanley Cup Finals
#### New York Islanders vs. Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks had their best chance to win a game in the first one, as a Jim Nill short-handed marker gave them a 5–4 lead with only seven minutes to play in regulation time. However, the Islanders tied it when Mike Bossy banged home a loose puck after goaltender Richard Brodeur had collided with his own defenceman, Harold Snepsts, while trying to smother it. In the dying seconds of the first overtime period, Snepsts attempted to clear the puck up the middle, but it was intercepted by Bossy, who completed his hat trick with two seconds left on the clock to win the game for the Islanders. In game two, the Canucks led 4–3 after two periods, but the Isles came back to win again.
The series then shifted to Vancouver, where the Canucks were boosted by a boisterous, towel-waving Vancouver crowd and had a great first period, but failed to score on Billy Smith, who was brilliant. The Islanders went on to win 3–0, and then completed the sweep with a 3–1 victory on May 16 to win their third straight Cup.
Mike Bossy scored 7 goals in the four games and won the Conn Smythe Trophy.
| Date | Visitors | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
| May 8 | Vancouver | 5 | New York | 6 | OT |
| May 11 | Vancouver | 4 | New York | 6 | |
| May 13 | New York | 3 | Vancouver | 0 | |
| May 16 | New York | 3 | Vancouver | 1 | |
Islanders win series, 4 games to 0

## Awards and records

* Mike Bossy, Conn Smythe Trophy
* Mike Bossy, Runner-Up, Lady Byng Trophy