Trailing 2-0 to the Carolina Hurricanes heading into Game 3 of their Stanley Cup Playoff series, the New York Islanders needed a win. They got one in tough — yet ultimately historic — fashion.
With the game tied at 1-1 late in the third period, New York went on a power play.
With 3:51 remaining, the Islanders broke the tie when Kyle Palmieri redirected a shot from Sebastian Aho, giving the Islanders a 2-1 lead.
THE GOAL THAT GAVE US THE LEAD. pic.twitter.com/V7ead3wCqf
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) April 22, 2023
That was all that the Islanders needed to win the game. It was not, however, all they would score.
Less than a minute later, Matt Martin took a pass from Palmieri and beat Carolina goalie, Antti Raanta, giving the Islanders an insurance goal.
MATT. MARTIN. 3-1 good guys. pic.twitter.com/1tI2lTUdAV
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) April 22, 2023
A little more than a minute later, Scott Mayfield added an empty netter and Anders Lee closed the scoring with another goal less than 20 seconds after Mayfield’s.
In all, the Islanders scored four goals in 2:18 seconds. That broke a record for the quickest four goals scored by any team in the history of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Montreal Canadiens set the previous mark in 1944.
The Islanders scored their final four goals of tonight's win over a span of 2 minutes, 18 seconds late in the 3rd period.
That is the fastest 4-goal span by a team in Stanley Cup Playoffs history, beating out a 2:35 mark set by the Montreal Canadiens against Toronto in 1944. pic.twitter.com/JlwWDysX7b
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 22, 2023
If the Islanders are looking for an even better omen, the 1944 Canadiens — whose record they broke — won the Stanley Cup.
Of course, the Islanders are still in the first round and trail 2-1 in the series. So, they have a lot of work to do before joining the 1944 Canadiens on the list of Stanley Cup champions. But if nothing else, they know that they’ve done something better than a championship-winning team.
