On This Date in Sports February 13, 1982: Island Power
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
Bryant Trottier scores five goals, leading the New York Islanders to an 8-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers at the Nassau Coliseum. Four of Trottier's goals come on the power play, tying an NHL record previously set by Camile Henry of the New York Rangers in 1954 and Boom Boom Geoffrion with the Montreal Canadiens in 1955. Mike Bossy provided an assist on all five goals as the Islanders extended their winning streak to 11 games. The Islanders would extend the streak to 15 games, establishing a new NHL record.
The New York Islanders were the kings of hockey as the 1980s began. They beat the Philadelphia Flyers for the Stanley Cup in 1980 and repeated in 1981, beating the Minnesota North Stars. The Islanders, coached by Al Arbour, were playing well again in the 1981/82 season. They hit a minor bump in the road with a winless three-game road trip. On January 21st, they began the day with a 25-13-6 record as they crushed the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-1 to start their winning streak.
Over the next ten games, the Islanders became the most dominant team in NHL history, as their winning streak was filled with blowouts. In the first ten wins of the streak, only one game was decided by less than two goals, outscoring their opponents 64-24. In the 11th win on the streak, the dominance continued as the Islanders pounded the Flyers 8-2. Bryan Trottier equaled an NHL record with four power-play goals, scoring five over, with four goals coming in this second period.
The Islanders' streak would end at 15 games on February 21st with a 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 15-game winning streak established a new NHL record, topping the 14-game winning streak by the Boston Bruins in 1930. Throughout the streak, the Islanders outscored their opponents 97-35. The Pittsburgh Penguins topped the Islanders' record in 1993, winning 17 straight games, while the Columbus Blue Jackets had a 16-game winning streak in the 2016/17 season.
Since 1982, eight players have matched the record of four power-play goals in one game. This included Chris Valentine of the Washington Capitals, who did it two weeks after Bryan Trottier. Dave Andreychuk did it for the Buffalo Sabres in 1992, while Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins did it in 1993 during the Penguins' 17-game winning streak. Luc Robitaille had four power-play goals with the Los Angeles Kings in November of 1993, while Scott Mellanby of the St. Louis is the most recent with four power-play goals in 2003.
