The New York Islanders have a rich history, including a great dynasty in the 1980s. From championship teams with Mike Bossy to a great run in the Islanders’ recent history, playoff teams are all over this list.
The four championship teams occupy the top four spots on this top 10 list. The Islanders also had great years around those runs, and together they make one of the strongest lists in the league.
Greatest Islanders team in history: 1981–82
The third title of the Islanders dynasty tops this list. This team combined regular season excellence with postseason success for the first time. They won a franchise-record 54 games in the regular season, led by Mike Bossy’s 147 points. From January 21 to February 20, they won 15 games in a row, the fourth-longest winning streak in league history.
Bryan Trottier led the team in the playoffs with 23 assists and 29 points, while the late Mike Bossy scored 17 goals. They went 15-4 in the playoffs, including wins over the Quebec Nordiques in the semifinals and the Vancouver Canucks in the finals. Bossy won the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP and Billy Smith won the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie of the regular season.
2nd place: 1980–81
Championship number two is second on the Islanders’ top ten team list. They were the best team in the regular season with 110 points. Bossy again led the team with 68 goals and 119 points in the regular season. Those 68 goals were the most in the entire league. He was a first-team All-Star along with Denis Potvin.
Butch Goring won the Conn Smythe thanks in large part to his hat trick in the Cup final. The Islanders went 15-3 in the playoffs, finishing with a five-game sweep of the North Stars. After those playoffs, it was very clear that the Islanders were a dynasty in the making.
3rd place: 1982–83
In the last Stanley Cup, the Islanders defeated the Oilers by a landslide. The regular season was not quite as impressive as the previous two years, bringing in just 96 points and finishing fourth in the Prince of Wales Conference. It was another great season for Bossy, who scored 60 goals and 118 points, leading the team.
Another dominant playoff run kept the Islanders from being eliminated again. They finished 15-5 and won each of their four Cup Final games by multiple goals. Billy Smith won the Conn Smythe based on his .953 save percentage in the Cup Final. Wayne Gretzky scored 71 goals in the regular season and zero in the Cup Final.
4th place: 1979–80
The final championship team on the list is the first title team in franchise history. The Islanders finished fifth in the league in the regular season, a significant drop from the previous year. Bryan Trottier led the team with 62 assists and 104 points, while Bossy led with 51 goals.
The Islanders avoided elimination in the playoffs en route to the title. Bobby Nystrom’s overtime winner in Game 6 secured the Cup and laid the foundation for the dynasty. Trottier was the Conn Smythe winner after leading the team with 12 goals, 17 assists and 29 points.
#5: 1978-79
The final season before the championship began was one of the best regular seasons in franchise history. Their 116 points and 51 wins are the second most in franchise history and the Islanders entered the playoffs as favorites. Trottier, Bossy and Potvin all scored over 100 points. Trottier led the entire league in assists and points and won the Hart Trophy as MVP.
The Islanders defeated the Chicago Black Hawks in the first round and faced the New York Rangers in the semifinals. The Rangers’ six-game victory marked the beginning of the 50-year rivalry we know today. It was the last playoff series the team would lose for nearly five years.
6th place: 2020-21
The first non-dynasty team on the list exited Nassau Coliseum with a bang. Anthony Beauvillier scored an overtime goal in game six of the semifinals to force game seven against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Although game seven was a brutal loss, Beauvillier’s goal will always remain a highlight in Islanders history.
The 56 regular season games due to COVID-19 could not stop the dominance of Barry Trotz’s Islanders. They were second in goals allowed in the league and had fantastic seasons with Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin in goal. Mathew Barzal led the team with 47 points and Brock Nelson led the team with 18 goals.
7th place: 1983–84
The true end of the dynasty came in game five of the 1984 Cup final. The Edmonton Oilers beat the Islanders, ending the streak of 19 consecutive series wins and finishing first in the Prince of Wales Conference, led by Bossy’s 51 goals and 118 points in just 67 games.
They made it through the playoffs without ever being eliminated and faced the Oilers in a rematch of the previous year’s final. Edmonton steamrolled New York and shirked responsibility. The franchise has not reached a Cup final since.
#8: 1977–78
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Before becoming four-time champions, the Islanders had fantastic regular seasons and playoff losses. They won the Clarence Campbell Conference with 113 points. Calder Trophy winner Mike Bossy scored 53 goals, his first of nine consecutive 50-goal seasons.
The playoffs were over as quickly as they began. The Islanders lost in the decisive seventh game of the quarterfinals to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Although the seeds of a dynasty were planted, it was not a successful season for the Islanders.
9th place: 1976–77
Similarly, the Islanders continued to make the playoffs in 1976-77, but were stopped by the Montreal Canadiens. The scoring did not reach the stratospheric heights reached with Bossy and Trottier. Potvin led the team with 80 points in the regular season and the team did not make a name for itself until the playoffs.
They started 6-0 after beating the Black Hawks and Sabres to advance to the semifinals, where they faced the Canadiens, who won their second consecutive championship. This was only the fifth season in franchise history and their third consecutive semifinal appearance.
10th place: 2018-19
The last team on the list is the first year of the Lou Lamoriello era. The Islanders were considered one of the worst teams in the league. Captain John Tavares left as a free agent for the Toronto Maple Leafs and everyone thought that would torpedo the Islanders. They finished second in the Metropolitan Division and hosted a playoff series.
The Islanders defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins for only their second playoff series win since 1993. Despite being eliminated in the second round, this team laid the foundation for back-to-back semifinal appearances. Barzal led the team with 44 assists and 62 points, while Anders Lee scored 28 goals.
