Today is Super Bowl Sunday. As such every game on the NHL schedule starts at 3 PM ET so as to not compete against the sporting juggernaut that is the NFL championship game. The New York Islanders aren’t playing this Super Bowl Sunday, but over their nearly 50-year existence, they’ve shared the day with the NFL’s top game a number of times.
Over the years, the Islanders have played eight times on Super Bowl Sunday and carry a 2-3-2-1 record. That last number counts ties cause that was a thing back in the day. So maybe it’s a good thing the Isles aren’t playing today because their 0.4375 points percentage on Super Bowl Sunday isn’t very good.
Again, they don’t always play on Super Bowl Sunday. They’ve only done so eight times in 49 years. They’ve played no more than twice on a Super Bowl day per decade. They played once in the 80s and once in the oughts.
New York Islanders biggest win and loss on Super Bowl Sunday
Their biggest win on Super Bowl Sunday was their most recent outing in 2016. On the same day the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50, the Islanders dominated the Edmonton Oilers with an 8-1 victory.
Kyle Okposo scored his second career hat-trick with two goals in the second period and one in the third. Two of those goals came on the power play. He’d add a helper on a Nikolai Kulemin goal for four points. Okposo would also have a commanding eight shots on goal through 60 minutes. Vintage Kyle.
The worst loss for the Isles came in 2013 against the Devils. On the same day that the Ravens held on to beat the 49’ers in Super Bowl 47, backup Johan Hedberg pitched a shutout as the Devils won 3-0. (Of course, a backup shut out the Isles). Islanders/Bridgeport legend Steve Bernier scored twice for the Devils in this one to hand the Isles the ‘L’.
Here’s the Isles full record on Super Bowl Sunday:
The 1970s:
1973 (Super Bowl 7): 2-1 Loss to St Louis Blues
1975 (Super Bowl 9): 4-3 Loss to Toronto Maple Leafs
The 1980s:
1983 (Super Bowl 27): 4-3 Win over Edmonton Oilers
The 1990s:
1990 (Super Bowl 24): 4-4 Tie with New Jersey Devils
1991 (Super Bowl 25): 5-4 Overtime loss to Washington Capitals
The 2000s:
2007 (Super Bowl 41): 2-1 Shootout Loss to Washington Capitals
The 2010s:
2013 (Super Bowl 47): 3-0 Loss to New Jersey Devils
2016 (Super Bowl 50): 8-1 Win over Edmonton Oilers