THIS DATE IN NHL HISTORY: May 17
1979: Ken Dryden of the Montreal Canadiens becomes the first goaltender in NHL history to score a point in the Stanley Cup Final. Dryden is credited with an assist on Jacques Lemaire’s goal at 17:10 of the third period that wraps up a 4-1 win against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden in Game 3. Dryden makes 19 saves, allowing only a third-period goal by Ron Duguay, and helps the Canadiens take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.
1981: Butch Goring of the Islanders becomes the first player in NHL history to score three goals in a playoff game with two teams. His hat trick helps New York rally past the Minnesota North Stars 7-5 at Met Center in Game 3 of the Final. It comes four years after Goring scores three goals for the Los Angeles Kings. Mike Bossy scores a goal for his Stanley Cup Playoffs-record 30th point, and Minnesota’s Dino Ciccarelli scores to set a rookie record for points in a playoff year with 21.
1983: The New York Islanders take their place among the NHL’s greatest teams by winning the Stanley Cup for the fourth consecutive year.
The Islanders score three times in the first period and defeat the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 at Nassau Coliseum to complete a four-game sweep in the Final. Bryan Trottier, John Tonelli and Mike Bossy score in a span of 1:37 to give the Islanders a three-goal lead, and Ken Morrow hits the empty net to complete the victory. Bossy becomes the first player since Jack Darragh in 1920-21 to score the Cup-winning goal in back-to-back years.
Billy Smith makes 24 saves for the win and earns the Conn Smythe Trophy as Stanley Cup Playoff MVP after the Islanders hold Wayne Gretzky without a goal in series.
1987: Wayne Gretzky becomes the first player to have 200 NHL career playoff points when he scores a goal and has an assist in Edmonton’s 4-2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers at Northlands Coliseum in Game 1 of the Final. Gretzky opens the scoring late in the first period and assists on a goal by Paul Coffey during Edmonton’s three-goal third period.
1991: Mario Lemieux sets a Pittsburgh Penguins playoff record by scoring a goal in his seventh consecutive game and extends his Penguins playoff record point-scoring streak to 15 games during a 4-1 win against the North Stars 4-1 at the Civic Center in Game 2 of the Final. Lemieux has an assist on a first-period goal by Kevin Stevens, then makes it 3-1 when he beats Jon Casey late in the second period. Tom Barrasso makes 39 saves to help Pittsburgh tie the best-of-7 series 1-1.
2011: Tyler Seguin ties the NHL playoff rookie playoff record for points in a period when he scores twice and has two assists in the second period of the Boston Bruins’ 6-5 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final at TD Garden. Seguin, selected with the No. 2 pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, becomes the first teenager to get four points in one period of a playoff game and the second rookie to do so.
2013: Sidney Crosby has a hat trick for the Penguins in a 4-3 victory against the Ottawa Senators in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal at Consol Energy Center to reach 100 career playoff points. He does it in 75 games, the fifth-fastest in NHL history. Crosby gets his three goals in the first 21:15 to give Pittsburgh a 3-1 lead; Brenden Morrow’s goal midway through the second period turns out to be the game-winner.
