So the Islanders were upset in the 1978 quarterfinals by the Maple Leafs and in the 1979 semifinals by the Rangers, and it was clear once and for all that neither they nor Al Arbour could or would ever win the big one. And they probably wouldn’t have if not for the 1980 deadline acquisition of Butch Goring that changed everything, including the identity of the NHL’s greatest dynasty.
The Red Wings of the mid-’90s were swept in the Cup final by the Devils a year after losing a one-versus-eight first-round series to the Sharks and a year before their 62-victory, 131-point team was humiliated in the conference final by Colorado.