NHL Roundup : Islanders Win in Overtime and Get That Old Feeling

There is a tendency for the New York Islanders to look back three years. It was about this time in 1983 that the Islanders were driving to a fourth consecutive Stanley Cup championship.

Ever since, the Islanders have seemed to be going downhill slowly, but steadily. They lost their bid for a fifth straight title in 1984 and last spring they were bounced out of the playoffs in the division final.

In recent weeks among the Islanders there has been talk of a return to glory.

Mike Bossy scored at 3:28 in overtime Sunday at East Rutherford, N.J., to give the Islanders a hard-earned, 3-2 victory over New Jersey. It extended the Islanders’ unbeaten string to seven games (6-0-1), longest since the club dominated the NHL.

Bossy also scored earlier and has 38 for the season on the way to his ninth consecutive 50-goal season. His power-play goal in the first minute of the third period tied the game. In the last seconds of the second period Bossy set up Bryan Trottier for his 28th.

“I don’t know if we’re back to 1983, but we’ve been playing well for three weeks,” said Trottier, whose return to good health has been a factor in the Islanders’ return to prominence. “Any time you get a couple of quick goals, it changes the game. We were down 2-0 and in just 58 seconds of playing time, we tied it.”

Another factor has been the rejuvenation of goaltender Billy Smith. When the Islanders were winning Stanley Cups, Smith was gaining recognition as one of the finest goalies.

Along with the team, Smith had two poor seasons in a row. At 35, he is playing well again.

Smith stopped 25 shots, including the Devils’ last 16, to win his sixth in a row. Three of those wins have been against the Philadelphia Flyers, who have the second best record in the league.

“This is early,” Bossy said. “Let’s see how we’re playing in the playoffs. But, so far so good. We’re a lot better than last year.”

Toronto 4, Chicago 3--It was only the 14th win in 51 games, but their second in a row at Chicago and their third in four games with the Black Hawks.

The Black Hawks lead the Norris Division and are 24 points ahead of the Maple Leafs. But, except for Saturday night at Toronto when they won, 7-4, they haven’t been able to handle the Leafs.

Rick Vaive and Wendell Clark each had a goal and an assist for the Leafs, who had lost six in a row on the road.

Buffalo 5, Quebec 3--Mike Foligno had two goals and two assists to lead the Sabres to the victory. The Nordiques have failed to win their last nine games (0-8-1) at Buffalo.

The Sabres scored two short-handed goals. Foligno assisted on the first and scored the second. His short-handed goal came late in the second period and gave the Sabres a 5-2 lead.

Boston 3, Pittsburgh 2--Charlie Simmer scored his first goal in six games with 7:10 left at Boston to give the Bruins their fifth victory in six games.

It was the 19th goal of the season for Simmer, who has missed 25 games because of injuries.

The Penguins fought back from a 2-0 deficit. Both scores were set up by talented Mario Lemieux. The second-year center has 63 assists in 52 games.

Washington 5, Hartford 4--Larry Murphy scored on a backhander with 75 seconds remaining at Hartford to climax an amazing comeback by the Capitals.

The Whalers, who have lost four in a row, led, 4-0, going into the final period. Bob Carpenter scored two of the goals as the Capitals scored four goals in less than nine minutes to draw even.