The Islanders scored some amazing overtime goals this postseason. To celebrate, let’s look at the past Islanders’ playoff overtime goals from the last decade and rank them based on the goal scored, the significance of the goal and the magnitude of the moment. Here are the top ten Islanders’ playoff overtime goals from this decade:

In 2016, the Islanders faced off against the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The Islanders had just lost in seven games the season before the Washington Capitals in a hard-fought series. This year was the third time in four seasons that the Islanders had made the playoffs and the first time since 2003-04 that the Islanders had made the playoffs for a second straight season.

The Islanders took Game 1 of the series in a thrilling 5-4 victory but dropped Game 2 by a score of 3-1. The series went to Brooklyn tied at one apiece. In Game 3, the Florida Panthers got off to a hot start, going up 2-0 early. Then, with about five minutes into the second period, the Panthers scored again, going up 3-0.

However, the Islanders challenged the play, resulting in the play being deemed offsides, giving the Islanders’ much-needed momentum. The Islanders came back from down 3-1 to send the game to overtime. In overtime, Islanders’ defenseman Thomas Hickey read a play perfectly, pinched and got the puck wide open in the slot to give the Islanders a 2-1 series lead.

With the series tied at two games apiece entering Game 5, the stakes were high for the Islanders entering the game. After an eventful 60 minutes, the Islanders and Panthers went to overtime.

Around eight minutes into the first overtime, the Florida Panthers were awarded a penalty shot after Islanders defenseman Calvin de Haan threw a puck in mid-air to get it out of the zone. Shootout specialist Aleksander Barkov was stoned cold by Islanders goalie Thomas Greiss.

On a power-play with four minutes remaining in the second overtime, Islanders’ forward Alan Quine one-timed the puck from the top of the right circle, beating goaltender Roberto Luongo, who was slow moving from side to side and could not get over in time. The Islanders went back to Brooklyn with a 3-2 lead and a chance to close the series out at home.

In 2015, the Islanders faced off against the Washington Capitals in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After splitting the first two games in Washington, the Islanders went back to the Coliseum.

In a hard-fought game, in which each team had to work for every opportunity and chance, the game went to overtime tied at one. After winning the center ice face-off, Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk sent the puck deep into the Capitals zone. Capitals goaltender Brayden Holtby grabbed the puck and sent it into the corner.

Capitals defenseman John Carlson got the puck and threw it up the boards. Islanders’ defenseman Nick Leddy threw the puck on goal; the puck was deflected and landed on John Tavares’ stick. Holtby was out of position, and Tavares made no mistake putting the puck in the back of the net. The Nassau Coliseum erupted, and mayhem ensued.

After the 2020 NHL season took a five-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Islanders trekked to Toronto for the chance to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Islanders faced off against the Florida Panthers in a best-of-five series. The winner would advance to the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After beating the Panthers in four games, the Islanders faced off against the Washington Capitals: head coach Barry Trotz‘s old team.

The Islanders jumped out to a 2-0 series lead, thoroughly outplaying the Capitals in both games. Game 3 headed to overtime tied at one apiece. In overtime, Islanders’ goaltender Semyon Varlamov stopped Capitals forward Jakub Vrana point-blank on a breakaway and saved his rebound attempt. Less than a minute later, a streaking Mat Barzal received the puck on the half-wall behind both Capitals defensemen and took the puck to the net, where he beat Holtby on the backhand.

Game over.

After beating the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games to advance to the second round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Islanders would have to go through the Boston Bruins. After losing Game 1 5-2, the Islanders needed a big performance in Game 2 to tie the series. Losing the first two games of the series to Boston would be a death sentence. Game 2 was a must win for the Islanders.

To start Game 2, the Islanders gave up an early goal just less than three minutes into the game. However, the Islanders responded by scoring three straight second period goals to go up 3-1 in the contest. Boston cut the deficit to one in the third period, and after a too many men on the ice penalty with around six minutes left in the game, Boston went on the power-play. Here, they tied the game up at three, sending the game to overtime.

With about five minutes left in overtime, Bruins defenseman Jeremy Lauzon made a bad attempt pass across the blue-line that hit Charlie Coyle’s skate, which propelled Islanders Casey Cizikas on a breakaway. Cizikas made no mistake, going top shelf on goaltender Tuukka Rask. The Islanders withstood the Bruins’ comeback and headed back to Long Island tied at one game apiece.

After splitting the first four games of their series against the Penguins this postseason, the Islanders went to Pittsburgh for a pivotal Game 5 with the series all tied up.

Despite going down in the game early, the Islanders tied the game up at the end of the first period; after tying the game up again late in the third period, the game headed to overtime.

Moreover, the Penguins were pressing hard. Through 60 minutes, the Penguins outshot the Islanders 41 to 20. In overtime, the Penguins ramped up their chances throwing everything towards Islanders’ goaltender Ilya Sorokin. However, after another 20 minutes of action, the contest remained all tied up.

With just about one minute into the second overtime, the puck got sent down the ice, and Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry came out to play the puck. Jarry passed the puck right up the middle of the ice.

Josh Bailey picked the puck right up, walked down into the slot and flipped the puck high glove side into the back of the net. This was a massive victory as the Islanders became one win away from advancing to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Furthermore, this was a game in which the Islanders completely stole – they were out-chanced and outshot.

In 2019, the Islanders faced off against the Pittsburgh Penguins to commence round one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. To fully understand why this goal is ranked so high, considering it is only from Game 1 of the first round, we need to explain the circumstances leading up to the game. After the previous July, the Islanders lost their face of the franchise to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Virtually everyone wrote off the Islanders.

Per Islanders announcer Brendan Burke:

Moreover, the Islanders hosted Game 1 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Nassau Coliseum. Loud as ever, the Coliseum was rocking for playoff hockey.

About five minutes into overtime, Barzal got the puck on his stick with a full head of steam as he entered the Penguins’ zone. Barzal immediately stick-handled and cut towards the slot. Barzal pulled upwards with the puck, deked Penguins Matt Murray out of his net, but hit the post as he shot the puck on his backhand.

Josh Bailey came crashing down and put the big rebound into a wide-open net. As Burke said, “Game 1 to the Island.” The Islanders sent the Coliseum into a frenzy. Complete madness ensued.

Following the five-month hiatus of the NHL due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Islanders returned to play. The Islanders had their eyes set on winning a Stanley Cup. After beating the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers, the Washington Capitals in five games and the Philadelphia Flyers in seven, the Islanders advanced to the Eastern Conference Final to play the Tampa Bay Lightning.

After losing the first two games of the series, the Islanders battled back in Game 3 to cut the series deficit. However, after dropping Game 4, the Islanders needed a big performance in Game 5 to keep their season alive.

In Game 5, the Islanders got off to a 1-0 lead, but soon after, the Lightning evened the game. With around seven minutes remaining in the second overtime, the Lightning had an offensive zone face-off. They won the draw, and the puck came back to defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. Shattenkirk fanned on his slap shot attempt, and Islanders forward Anders Lee went barrelling down the ice the other way.

Lee was going down the ice on a two-on-one with Eberle on his right. Lee fed the puck over to Eberle, who immediately one-timed the puck from Lee. Eberle’s goal propelled the Islanders to Game 6 and kept their season alive in the Conference Final.

Love him or hate him, John Tavares gave the New York Islanders one of the franchise’s most historic moments in overtime. In 2016, after beating the Florida Panthers in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead, the Islanders headed back to Brooklyn looking to win their first playoff series in 23 years.

To start off the contest, the Panthers scored the first goal of the game. The goal was scored in the closing minute of the first period. The Panthers held on to that lead all the way up until the final minute of the third period. With just a minute remaining in the third period, Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy took the puck coast to coast. Leddy threw the puck on goal as he made his way to the Panthers goal line. Madness ensured and the puck was all alone, sitting perfectly still. Tavares took the puck with no one on him and put it in the back of the net to send the game to overtime.

After a scoreless first overtime, the game headed to a second overtime. With around nine minutes left in the second overtime, the Islanders entered the offensive zone. Tavares got the puck at the top of the circle and fired a shot on goal. Luongo made a pad save, and Tavares picked up his own rebound. With the puck on his stick, Tavares dove to wrap the puck around the net and beat Luongo before he could get back to the other post. In a split second, the Islanders scored — mayhem erupted in Brooklyn. And the Islanders piled on top of their captain.