The Islanders ex-captain John Tavares and the Toronto Maple Leafs will meet Anders Lee and the Islanders for a huge contest tonight at 7 p.m. at NYCB Live, Home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Last year, the Islanders started off the season series against the Leafs in Toronto and the last two games were hosted on Long Island. Will the momentum remain the same?

On Dec. 29, 2018, the Isles started off the scoring in the first from a goal from Valtteri Filppula. Their momentum dragged over into the second period and Mat Barzal scored a natural hat trick to make an impression on the Isles ex-captain. The Islanders departed from Scotiabank Arena with a 4-0 win.

A few months later, it was time for the Islanders fans to release their feelings back from July 1, 2018. On Feb. 28, 2019, a date that fans will remember forever, the Islanders hosted the Leafs at Fort Neverlose. Fans tailgated before the game, came prepared with numerous chants, creative jersey changes and made sure that this will be a memorable night for John Tavares.
The game kicked off with the fans filling the Coliseum with the chant “JT Sucks” and quickly switched to boos during Tavares’ first shift. Fans refused to hold back during Tavares’ tribute video. On the ice, Zach Hyman started off the scoring but the Isles proceeded to score six unanswered goals after that. Anthony Beauvillier quickly threw the Isles on the board to end the first.

From the second period on, the Coliseum continued to erupt with the sound of the Islanders goal horn, angry fans and “Yes Yes Yes” chants. After Islanders captain Anders Lee scored a goal to make the game 2-1 as fans chanted “That’s Our Captain” as a dig at Tavares. The Coliseum crowd continued to yell numerous chants such as “Please Don’t Trade Me”, “Where’s Your Jammies?” and “It’s Your Bedtime”. The New York Islanders took a 6-1 victory over the Leafs and the Coliseum went insane. John Tavares returned to Uniondale for the third game of the season series on April 1, 2019. The Islanders were 2-0 against the Leafs without John Tavares in the season series, but dropped this contest 2-1.

On Wednesday, we will be able to see how everyone reacts to Tavares and if everyone will be as crazy as last year. The Islanders are currently one of the better teams in the NHL and hope to continue their point streak against the Leafs. With John Tavares making a jaw dropping depart from the Islanders almost a year and a half ago, will the rivalry still remain as intense?

John Smark