New York Islanders won the 1980-81 Stanley Cup Final 4-0 over Minnesota North Stars.
4-0
Series result · 5 games
New York Islanders lifted the Cup in Game 5 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Series after
api-web.nhle.com club-schedule-season + gamecenter boxscore · fetched 2026-08-17 · 5 Final games
The road to the Final
16 clubs, 4 rounds
The whole tournament, in the shape that spring actually had: 16 clubs, 4 rounds. Every series carries the games the schedule feed publishes. 68 in all that spring. The champion's road is the lit line — TOR 3-0 · EDM 4-2 · NYR 4-0 · MNS 4-1. Hover a series to read it beside the board; choose one to open its games underneath.
Every game of the Final as its own card. Choosing one opens its goal sequence below and repaints the series score in the band above to the moment that game ended.
Game 1 · MNS 3, NYI 6
1981-05-12 · Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Decided by 3
Goal sequence
1stMNS 0 · NYI 3
02:54A. KallurNYIAssists: D. Langevin, R. GoringGo-ahead0-1
14:38B. TrottierNYIAssists: W. CarrollInsurance0-2SH11m 44s later
15:25A. KallurNYIAssists: B. TrottierDagger0-3SH47s later
2ndMNS 1 · NYI 1
09:58W. CarrollNYIAssists: D. Sutter, B. NystromGAME WINNER0-414m 33s later
13:04K. AnderssonMNSAssists: D. CiccarelliCut the lead1-43m 6s later
3rdMNS 2 · NYI 2
00:58W. MerrickNYIDagger1-57m 54s later
03:08S. PayneMNSAssists: C. Hartsburg, B. SmithCut the lead2-5PP2m 10s later
13:15W. MerrickNYIAssists: D. Langevin, J. TonelliDagger2-610m 7s later
15:14D. CiccarelliMNSAssists: T. McCarthyCut the lead3-61m 59s later
Goaltending
G. MelocheMNS60:00 · 6 GA · 6.00 GAA17/23 · .739 SV%L
B. SmithNYI60:00 · 3 GA · 3.00 GAA23/26 · .885 SV%W
Shots on goal
MNS26
NYI23
DifferentialMNS +3
Points
D. CiccarelliMNS2
W. MerrickNYI2
B. TrottierNYI2
W. CarrollNYI2
A. KallurNYI2
Shots by player
S. PayneMNS4
C. HartsburgMNS4
A. KallurNYI4
K. AnderssonMNS3
B. PalmerMNS3
Three stars
The league publishes three stars in this feed from about 2010; none are on file for this game.
The shape of the Final, its intensity, and who carried it. The Conn Smythe Trophy is voted by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association and is not carried in this feed. These are the series leader boards, not an award pick, and no composite score is computed.
Shape
Games played5
Series result4-0
GoalsNYI 26 · DAL 0
Overtime games0
Multi-overtime games0
One-goal games0
Decided by three or more3
Shutouts0
Lead changes3
Comeback wins1
Home wins4–1
Empty-net goals1
gamecenter boxscore + landing · fetched 2026-08-17 · Empty-net goals are counted from the goal feed's own goalModifier flag. A count of zero means none was flagged, which for an early Final may mean none was recorded.
This Final measured against its own decade and against every Final the league's game feed covers. The 1980s line covers 10 Finals and 51 games. Rates are per Final game, and every Final contributes only to the rates it has data for: hits-per-game is computed over the Finals since 1997-98 that record hits, not over all of them. Each rate publishes its denominator.
This Final against the era
Overtime games0 of 5
This Final0%
1980s12%
All Finals18%
One-goal games0 of 5
This Final0%
1980s29%
All Finals41%
Shutouts0 of 5
This Final0%
1980s8%
All Finals17%
Goals per game42 goals
This Final8.40
1980s6.71
All Finals5.33
derived from all 98 Finals in data/cup_finals/ · fetched 2026-08-17
Records across the feed
Longest Final2023-24 · 7 games
Most overtime games1950-51 · 5
Highest scoring1972-73 · 9.33 per game
Most one-goal games2014-15 · 5
derived from data/cup_finals/index.json · fetched 2026-08-17
What the record actually holds
Coverage
6 of 14 statistical modules are published for this Final. A module counts as available only if the series contains a non-zero value for it. Historical boxscores carry the same field names as modern ones filled with zeros — 1978-79 publishes hits: 0 for all 170 skaters — so field presence is not evidence and is not treated as such.
Goal-by-goal sequenceGoaltender win/loss decisionsPenalty minutesTeam shots on goalGoaltender shots/saves/save%Goaltender even-strength/PP/SH splitsSkater time on iceHitsBlocked shots, giveaways, takeawaysFaceoff percentageShift countsGoal strength (even, power play, shorthanded)Winning-goal scorer (from the schedule feed)On-ice situation codes
Not published for this Final
Blocked shots, giveaways, takeawaysBlocked shots, giveaways and takeaways begin in 1997-98.
Faceoff percentageFaceoff percentage begins in 1997-98.
Goaltender even-strength/PP/SH splitsEven-strength, power-play and shorthanded shot splits begin in 1997-98.
HitsHits were not recorded as an official statistic until 1997-98.
Shift countsShift counts begin in 1997-98.
On-ice situation codesOn-ice situation codes begin in 2009-10.
Skater time on icePer-skater time on ice begins in 1997-98.
Winning-goal scorer (from the schedule feed)The schedule feed does not name a winning-goal scorer before 2008-09.
Method
Final games are selected from the club schedule feed on seriesStatus.seriesAbbrev of SCF, not on a round number: the Cup Final is round four only in a four-round playoff, and the 1954-55 Final is recorded as round two. No MVP or composite rating is computed. The Conn Smythe is a published award and is not in this feed.
Goal labels are relative to the team that scored. A goal that closes a two-goal gap to one is the scorer's own cut, not the leader's insurance. The winning goal is the champion's goal that put it one clear of the finalist's final total, which is the league's own definition.
Sources: api-web.nhle.com/v1/club-schedule-season/{team}/{season} · api-web.nhle.com/v1/gamecenter/{game}/boxscore · api-web.nhle.com/v1/gamecenter/{game}/landing · data/stanley_cup_champions.json (the site's 107-Final ledger; it drives the season list) · data/franchise_history.json (alias_chain, for season-correct tricodes). Fetched 2026-08-17.
The season list is driven by the site's own Stanley Cup ledger, and tricodes are resolved season by season through the franchise alias chain, so a Final is requested with the code its clubs actually used that year.
NYI
DAL