ELMONT, N.Y. — In a way, it was only fitting that John Tavares recorded his 1,000th career point against the New York Islanders.
The veteran center and captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs recorded a goal and an assist in his side’s 4-3 overtime loss to his former team, the Islanders, on Monday night at UBS Arena, which made him the 98th player in NHL history to reach that 1,000-point milestone. The benchmark moment came with 6.4 seconds left in regulation when he tipped a shot from William Nylander into the path of Morgan Reilly, who tied the game up at three apiece.
“It was a bit surreal,” Tavares said. “It wasn’t pretty, so I just wanted to make sure that it was correct. I had a good feeling that I had a net-front presence and it went off me.”
The 33-year-old spent the first nine seasons of his NHL career with the Islanders after he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2009. He recorded 621 points (272 goals, 349 assists) in New York, which ranks fifth in franchise history, while ascending the ranks to team captain. But he departed the team in free agency during the summer of 2018 where he joined his hometown Maple Leafs on a seven-year deal.
Since then, his return to Long Island has been filled with vitriol. As is customary, every time he stepped on the ice or took a face-off Monday night, he was booed. But the crowd could spare at last a mixed reaction with some cheers smattered in when the Islanders recognized Tavares’ accomplishment.
“The uniqueness of doing it where I played the first nine years of my career, it’s a big part of who I am,” Tavares said. “The way this place impacted me, it was tremendous, so it’s really unique and cool to do it here. This place means a lot.”
His big moment left some of his former Islanders teammates to find the balance between seeing an old friend reach a major milestone with squandering a third-period lead for the 11th time this season — though moods were lifted by Bo Horvat’s overtime winner to deliver New York two points on the night.
“It was an interesting one there. Tough,” Brock Nelson, who spent five years as Tavares’ teammate, said. “We didn’t want to give that goal up, but that milestone, 1,000 points, just speaks to Johnny. He’s been an incredible player. He gave the team here a lot, the fan base, the organization. He was the face of the franchise for a long time.
“A lot of guys know him extremely well. He’s a good guy. He just goes out there and works extremely hard. So 1,000 points is a testament to him. That’s pretty remarkable.”
Nelson and Casey Cizikas, who was drafted 91 spots after Tavares in 2009 by the Islanders, scored on Monday night to give them bragging rights over their former teammate. New York has won six of its 12 meetings against Tavares since he made the move to Toronto.
“That’s an amazing achievement for him,” Cizikas said. “That’s something that he should be extremely proud of. He’s had an unbelievable career and he deserves to have a special moment like that.”
