Dino Ciccarelli of the North Stars set a rookie record (since tied by Ville Leino in 2010), scoring twenty-one points (14 goals and seven assists) during the year's playoffs. The Islanders' much deeper lineup, however, won the day.
In a back and forth game three, Butch Goring recorded a hat trick and Mike Bossy recorded 4 points after the North Stars had taken a 3–1 after the first period. The Islanders went on to win the game 7–5, giving them a commanding 3–0 lead in the series.
Steve Payne scored the game-winning goal in the third period of game four, and Don Beaupre made 33 saves to give Minnesota a 4–2 to thrive off elimination.
In game five, Billy Smith made 24 saves in a 5–1 victory for New York to win the series and help them win their second consecutive Stanley Cup. Butch Goring, who recorded two goals during the game, was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoffs MVP.
The series aired on CBC in Canada. In the United States, this was the first of five seasons that the Cup Finals aired on the USA Network. For the 1981 Finals only, USA simulcast the CBC feed instead of producing their own coverage. However, USA's national coverage was blacked out in the New York metro and Minnesota area due to the local rights to their respective teams in that markets. In the New York area, SportsChannel New York aired three games at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, and WOR televised two games in Bloomington, Minnesota while KMSP aired every game of the series in the Minnesota area.
The 1981 Stanley Cup was presented to Islanders captain Denis Potvin by NHL PresidentJohn Ziegler following the Islanders 5–1 win over the North Stars in game five.
The following Islanders players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup
^[A] #3 Jean Potvin (D) – 18 games regular season games and did not dress in the playoffs. He spent the rest of year as a broadcaster. Potvin's name was put on the cup in 1981, even though he did not officially qualify.
#10 Lorne Henning (C) – played nine regular season and one playoff game. He was the last playing-coach to win the Stanley Cup.
A new ring was created in 1993 for the winners from 1979 to 1991. New York Islanders was misspelled. NEW YORK ILANDERS missing the first "S". Name was spelled correctly on the Replica Cup also created in 1993.
Aftermath
The Islanders successfully returned to the Finals the following year. This time, they played the Vancouver Canucks and swept them to capture their third consecutive Stanley Cup championship.
The North Stars, however, lost in the first round to the Chicago Blackhawks, 3–1. The North Stars would not return to the Stanley Cup Final again until 1991, when they were defeated by the Pittsburgh Penguins, in six games.
