More thrills, spills and saves provided still more heart-throbbing in almost nine minutes of overtime. Smitty was out of his mind robbing the Rangers left and right while Bossy missed the winner by a hair, hitting the wrong side of the goal post.
The Islanders needed a hero and during the between periods intermission they turned to defenseman Ken Morrow, alias "Wolfman," to pick up his magic goal stick; and he obliged.
Here's how it happened -- told in his own words by Morrow:
"Al sent me out as part of a line change and then Brent Sutter took a bad-angle shot that resulted in a rebound. The Rangers tried to clear it along their right boards but John Tonelli kept it in. Then Rangers defenseman Reijo Ruotsalainen tried to clear the puck.
"When it bounced off the boards on my right side, I got it, saw an opening and didn't hesitate. I put the shot right on goal and fortunately Patrick Flatley had camped right in front of Glen Hanlon who was screened. Hanlon didn't see the puck and neither did I.
"As a matter of fact, I didn't know the puck had gone in until I heard it clang off the bottom of the net. Looking backward, I have to say what a relief that was because the Rangers were terrific."
The 3-2 victory marked the astonishing 17th straight playoff series win for the Nassaumen and left the professional journalists with a temporary case of lockjaw virtually at a loss for words to describe the dynasty on Hempstead Turnpike.
Perhaps Newsday put the Islanders latest accomplishment best with one word: "Epic!"
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LISTS: FOUR WAYS THE ISLANDERS MANAGED TO BEAT THE RANGERS, AGAIN:
1. MORROW MAGIC: "Three overtime goals in one career for a defenseman is no fluke," said Bossy. "Kenny was not a natural goal-scorer. Just amazing and no fluke either."
2. CALM UNDER FIRE:On the brink of elimination, the Isles marched into The Garden for Game Four cool as Champions could be and took the game away from the Rangers to stay alive in the tourney.
3. MISTER CLUTCH:For much of the Game Five overtime. Herb Brooks' skaters had the better of the play and the best chances. True to his reputation, Bill Smith made the big saves until Wolfman Morrow sealed the series.
4. YOUTH IS SERVED:Fresh reserves came though handsomely. Among the young heroes were Patrick Flatley, Pat LaFontaine, Tomas Jonsson and Brent Sutter.