It Happened at the Coliseum … on NOVEMBER 21st

42 years ago tonight (1972) – The Islanders recorded the third victory in franchise history; like  the previous two it came against a California team as the Isles beat the Golden Seals 4-2.  The Isles won only two road games in that first season and one had come earlier that month in Oakland; this night, playing on Coliseum ice the Isles rallied from a 2-0 deficit for the win.

Brian Spencer scored the winning goal with 7:18 to play; Ed Westfall added an insurance goal with 1:59 to play as the Isles recorded only their second home win.

Spencer unfortunately had a lot of problems in his
post-hockey life, and was shot to death in 1988

“I left the guys to themselves after this morning’s meeting”, Islander coach Phil Goyette told the NY Times’ Gerry Eskenazi. “I told them I can’t hit for them, I can’t skate for them, I can’t check for them.  Then I told them to work it out for themselves.”

Gerry Eskanazi was more famous than most
 of the early Islanders that he covered

Gerry Desjardins picked up the victory, his second against the Seals and their infamous owner Charles O. Finley.  The prior season Finley had undone a trade in which the Seals had acquired Desjardins from Chicago, claiming that an arm injury rendered him as “damaged goods”.

Also on this date: (1981) – Denis Potvin scored the winning goal while shorthanded early in the third period as the Isles beat the Rangers 4-3 in the front-end of a home-and-home sweep of the Blueshirts.

All-time, the Isles have played five November 21st games at the Coliseum and finish with a 3-2-0 record on this date at 1255 Hempstead Turnpike in Uniondale.