Why is tonight's opening game so important? New York Islanders history explains why.

In a few hours, two of the most evenly-matched teams will launch their crusades to capture the most respected trophy in sports -- the Stanley Cup.

All things considered, it's a legitimate toss-up when it comes to choosing between the host Knights and the Panthers.

And while it's a given that every game in this best-of-seven tourney is important-beyond-all reason, winning the opener often provides the key to the Cup.

But this opener takes on a life of its own for the pure and simple reason that a Cats win tonight could mean that the Cup eventually will reside in beautiful Downtown Sunrise.

I bring this up because when I think of Florida's late-season surge, I immediately recall the runaway steamroller that was the Islanders after Bill Torrey lured Butch Goring from Tinseltown to the Turnpike called Hempstead.

Like today's Golden Knights, Philadelphia's Flyers were odds-on favorites to beat the Islanders in 1980.

"The Flyers had the edge in experience," wrote Associated Press' hockey beat man Barry Wilner in his book Countdown to a Dynasty. "They already had won two Stanley Cups and had gone to the Final against Montreal the third time."

One could say that tonight, Vegas has the experience edge, having -- unbelievably, I might add -- reached the Final against Washington in 2018 before going out in five games. And this in the Knights' maiden season.

The pressure was huge for the Isles prior to the 1980 opening game on Broad Street. Both in 1978 and 1979, the Nassaumen were favored to snare the mug.

But the Maple Leafs upset them in '78, followed by the Rangers a year later.

Captain Denis Potvin tried to calm his constituents before the 1980 run.

"I told them not to think that they're playing for the Stanley Cup," Potvin remembered. "What I stressed was to think that we're just playing the Flyers, and leave it at that."

Panthers' scoring star Matthew Tkachuk has employed a variation on the anti-pressure theme. "I just tell the guys to go out there and have fun.,"

Taking a cue from his captain and top defenseman, Isles coach Al Arbour's approach was more hands-on therapeutic. More or less like a pseudo-shrink.

"We tried to get them to relax," said Radar. "They'd never been through something like the finals where everything they did would be magnified. They were very uptight."

True to form -- and when home ice really was an advantage -- Philly took a 3-2 lead in Game One with only 6:50 left in regulation time.

Potvin: "It was time for us to dig down and see what we had. Then the Flyers got a penalty, and my power play defense partner Stefan Persson took a pass from Mike Bossy and tied the game."

Persson's goal came with 3:42 remaining in the third. It held up through regulation and meant the added pressure of sudden death overtime.

The wildly intense Spectrum crowd gave the home team all the lung word it needed, but the Broad Street Bullies reverted to their self-destruct form. Flyers defenseman Jim Watson tossed John Tonelli to the ice and was whistled off for two minutes.

"It took a lot of guts to call it," Johnny T later said.

Now it was Arbour's turn to make a critical decision. Radar knew that Potvin already had been on the ice for all 2:08 of OT. Normally, he would be rested. Arbour tried to stall for time, but referee Andy van Hellemond would have none of that.

Potvin remained on the ice as the power play swung into motion, but for three-quarters of the two-minute minor, it seemed like a treadmill to oblivion. Ken Morrow now was Denis' defense partner when the captain entered the zone and passed the puck to Ken on the left point.

Morrow: "My only real play was to dump it behind the net. Then Bobby Nystrom outfought their Mike Busniuk, and Ny got the biscuit over to Tonelli, who was on the right wing boards."

Meanwhile, Potvin was studying the scene, hopeful of getting free to shoot. When Tonelli got the puck, somehow, Denis was left unchecked.

"Everyone was sort of drawn in toward the play, and my side opened up," said Potvin. "I knew where I was going to shoot it before I got the puck. If you're coming in from the right side with a lefty shot, you have to go for the top corner."

That Denis did. He scored, and the Islanders won the critical first game. It proved to be a stairway to paradise.

The lesson here for the Panthers tonight is the importance of that first game win. "As they had done in the first three series, the Isles moved into a lead they would not relinquish,' wrote AP's Wilner.

Another lesson was the value of a strategic gamble. As Potvin proved, it was worth taking a chance on leaving his position during the overtime power play.

"I knew then that when I moved in on offense," he explained, "I was taking a gamble. This time it paid off."

The first game win proved to be meaningful in every which way. For the third straight series against a higher-seeded opponent, the Isles won the first game.

And you know the rest.

Tonight we'll see if the Panthers can follow that script.