It came down to the wire, but with a 4-2 win over the lowly Canadiens on Wednesday night, the Islanders were able to clinch a playoff berth at UBS Arena in the team's regular season finale.
After failing to lock up a postseason spot earlier this week following a loss to the Capitals, the Islanders were gifted a Penguins loss to the putrid Blackhawks to set up Wednesday's clinching scenario.
That clinching victory by the Islanders also secured a rare occurrence in New York, as all five winter sports teams will be in the postseason for the first time since 1994.
The Devils and Rangers have long since clinched a playoff berth, and could very well face each other in the first round if New Jersey can't leapfrog the Hurricanes for first place in the Metropolitan Division in Thursday's regular season finale. The Devils take on the Capitals, while Carolina visits the Panthers, who are also playoff bound.
Meanwhile, on the hardwood, the Knicks and Nets are each in the NBA playoffs as the fifth and sixth seeds, respectively, with both beginning their first round matchups on Saturday. New York visits the Cavaliers at 6:00 p.m., while Brooklyn makes the short trip to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers at 1:00 p.m.
How did the local teams fare back in 1994, the last time all five were in the playoffs? It was certainly a memorable spring, as the Rangers hoisted the Stanley Cup, still their last title in franchise history, while the Knicks battled to a game seven in the NBA Finals before falling to the Rockets. The Devils were bounced in the Eastern Conference Final in thrilling fashion thanks to Stephane Matteau's series-winning goal in overtime for the Blueshirts, who swept the Islanders out of the playoffs in the first round.
The Knicks, before making it to the Finals, defeated the rival Nets in four games in the first round of the 1994 playoffs, back when it was still a best of five.
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