John Tavares to Mat Barzal: Top 2010s Moments

January 2, 2020 Ben Baruch Editorials

The New York Islanders look entirely different than they did ten years ago. John Tavares bolted for Toronto. Josh Bailey is the only player left from the start of the decade and the entire management and coaching staff has changed. The team started out in the basement and now sits among the elite teams in the NHL. Let’s look back at the top ten moments from the past ten years of New York Islanders hockey.
10. John Tavares scores highlight reel goal against Pittsburgh in Game 4 (May 7, 2013)
It was a back an forth affair in Nassau Coliseum. The score was 3-3 coming into the third period. Just as announcer Kenny Albert noted that the Penguins hadn’t scored in the third period all series, Pascal Dupuis scored to give Pittsburgh the lead back.
Less than five minutes later, however, then-captain Mark Streit tied the game on a point shot that found its way to the back of the net. The game was tied once again.
Soon after, Brad Boyes intercepted a Pittsburgh clearing attempt and fed Tavares in the high slot. He deked around Paul Martin and took a shot against Marc-Andre Fleury. Flower made an incredible save, but Tavares collected, and deposited, the rebound. MVP chants erupted from the crowd and the Islanders would win the game and tie the series.
9. Isles come back against Detroit (Feb. 9, 2018)
The Islanders needed a jolt. They were hovering around the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, and had to find a way in. The beginning of this game left fans uninspired and devoid of hope.
The Islanders found themselves trailing 3-1 entering the third period. With under ten minutes to play, it was 5-2. Then, Tyler Bertuzzi was assed a match penalty for cross-checking Cal Clutterbuck. The Islanders went right to work.
Brock Nelson, Anders Lee, Nick Leddy, then Josh Bailey scored in the five minute major to give the Islanders the lead. Mat Barzal had three assists, Tavares had two. The Islanders just had to hold on for a win.
With under a minute remaining, however, Mike Green beat Jaroslav Halak (who had replaced Griess after allowing five goals) to tie the game. The Islanders challenged for goalie interference, but the goal was upheld. The game continued into OT.
In the defensive zone, Mat Barzal created a turnover. Quickly, he raced up the ice with Brock Nelson. A great cross crease pass set up Nelson for a hat trick, game winning goal to cap off a crazy night in Brooklyn.
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8. Islanders set franchise record 17 game point streak (Oct.-Nov. 2019)
Islanders fans were scared. Sure, the season was only four games old, but they started it 1-3. How would they recover? Would they recover? The responded to this weak start by defeating Florida, St. Louis, Winnipeg, Columbus, Arizona, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Buffalo, Ottawa (again), Florida (again), Toronto, Philadelphia (again), and Pittsburgh twice. Wedged in between these sixteen wins were overtime losses to Pittsburgh and San Jose.
The whole team was dominant. It started from the back end. The two goalies played about the same amount of games. Both ended November among the best in goals against and save percentage. As a team, they allowed the least amount of goals in the NHL.
Barzal and Nelson led the way offensively with 19 and 16 points respectively. Even though the point streak is over, they continue to keep pace in the Eastern Conference and march towards a playoff berth.
A streak like that will make fans forget about their dreadful Octobers and Novembers of years past. They were 1-7-3 in November 2010, and 4-10-1 in 2013.
7. The Islanders clinch a playoff berth in 2018-2019 (March 30, 2019)
Things weren’t looking so great against Winnipeg. The Islanders trailed 4-2 in the third period. Still, the Islanders were confident in a comeback. Only 63 seconds after the Jets extended their lead, Jordan Eberle scored to make it 4-3. The score stayed that way with under two minutes left in the third.
Cizikas scored at 18:14, and just 33 seconds later, Jordan Eberle finished a beautiful play started by Mat Barzal to give the Islanders the lead. The dramatic win set the stage for the Islanders to clinch back home against Buffalo.
The Islanders got right to work against the Sabres. Their 38 total shots that night led to four straight goals. But the Sabres had 32 shots as well, and I thought Robin Lehner was going to have an opportunity to address the crowd postgame. How right I was.
“Playoffs baby! Playoffs! F****** right!”
I watched the game from Israel. It was definitely worth staying up until 4:30 am to see that.
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6. The Islanders return to Nassau Coliseum (Dec. 1, 2018)
It was a shaky start to the 18-19 season, and that was the story of the first period and a half back in Nassau Coliseum. The Islanders played really well, but couldn’t score. The Blue Jackets notched two quick ones after the intermission. But the Islanders were able to respond.
The Islanders got the puck into the offensive zone. Leddy sent a shot towards Seregi Bobrovsky, Eberle followed it up, and Lee was able to nudge it into the net. The Barn exploded after the goal was confirmed. Then, on a two on one, Anthony Beauvillier’s initial shot was denied by Bobrovsky. Still, the puck bounced right back to his stick and he scored five-hole to tie the game.
Casey Cizikas scored the game winner en route to a 3-2 come-from-behind win in the team’s return to the historic arena. An incredible moment in Islanders history for certain.
NHL: Columbus Blue Jackets at New York Islanders
5. Islanders win crazy Game 1, sweep Penguins (April 2019)
The were expected to be last in the league. How the team shattered expectations. They got home ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, something they hadn’t done long before the decade began. The Islanders were slated to play the Pittsburgh Penguins. Despite their incredible season, everyone continued to bet against them.
The series was over 33 seconds after it began. Tom Khunhackl walked in and blew a shot passed Matt Murray. The Barn erupted. Sure it didn’t count, but just over a minute later, Eberle gave the Islanders the lead they deserved. It was a back and forth game one. The Islanders got the lead, the Pens tied it. This repeated itself three times. Then in OT, Barzal deked Murrary out of his net, shot the puck off the post before Josh Bailey cleaned up the rebound and sent the Coliseum into a frenzy. Games two, three, and four were all dominated by the Islanders. They swept the Pens. So much for “expert predictions.”
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4. John Tavares scores game winner in Game 3 against Washington (April 18, 2015)
The entire series against Washington in 2015 was tight checking. There was an abundance of hitting, and goals were hard to come by. The Islanders had the lead for much of the game. Kyle Okposo gave it to them halfway through the second. But with just about 6 minutes left to play, Nicklas Backstrom tied it for the Caps. When the game went to OT, it seemed like the game would go on for a long time.
It was the most innocent shot that beat Braden Holtby. The Islanders simply threw the puck on net and Holtby steered it to the corner. In came John Tavares. He saw a hole on the short side, and capitalized, no pun intended.
The Islanders led the series 2-1. They seemed like legitimate threats to defeat Washington and advance to the second round for the first time in 22 years. Despite a strong, competitive series, they’d have to wait one more year to achieve that milestone.
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3. Islanders defeat Maple Leafs in Tavares’ return to Long Island (Feb. 28, 2019)
Every Islanders fan had this date circled on their calendars on July 1. John Tavares was coming home. And two events added to the already highly anticipated spectacle.
First, the game was flexed from the Barclays Center to Nassau Coliseum. The Isles’ brass knew this was going to be a great game and wanted it played in the best atmosphere possible.
Second, the Islanders defeated Tavares’ Maple Leafs 4-0 in Toronto two months prior. Robin Lehner became the first Isles’ goalie to earn a shutout in Toronto, and “the kid who won the Calder” notched a hat trick. We were challenged to come to the flag pole, and to the flag pole we came.
Tavares was taunted before the puck even dropped. Insults, jerseys, and boos all rained down from the crowd. Still, it was Tavares who helped set up Zach Hyman. The Maple Leafs had struck first. But the game shifted dramatically in the second. After tying the game in the first, the Islanders scored three goals and took command over the game. Two more in the third solidified the win with over ten minutes to play. The fans at the Coliseum chanted for over ten minutes straight, and the Islanders cruised to a 6-1 win over their former captain. Revenge felt great.
2. Fight Night at the Coliseum (Feb. 11, 2011)
The Islanders were a terrible team for a long time. It helped us land John Tavares in 2009. But the Islanders were bad, and played in a small market. No one respected them. One team who constantly took advantage of the lowly Islanders were the Pittsburgh Penguins. In a game in early February 2011, they injured Blake Comeau, and laughed when Rick DiPietro was levelled in a fight against Brent Johnson.
The Islanders weren’t going to tolerate it any longer. When they met about a week later, they scored six straight against Pittsburgh and drove Brent Johnson out of the game. But few fans remember this game for the score. 346 penalty minutes were handed out in the game. They included 15 fighting majors and 21 game misconducts. You couldn’t form a single roster with the amount of players who were left on the two benches at the end of the game.
The Islanders exacted their revenge. The game was miles from clean, but it sent a message to the league. The Islanders deserved to be respected. They weren’t going to let teams throw cheap shots and laugh at them. Scoring nine goals against one of the league’s best teams only helped their case. This was undoubtedly the turning point of the decade.
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1. Tavares sends the Islanders to the second round (April 25, 2016)
Writing this now, it seems far less significant than it did back in 2016, sadly thanks to John Tavares leaving. But for 23 years, the Islanders couldn’t escape the first round of the playoffs. It was a rare occurrence for the team to even make it there. In those dreaded 23 years, the Islanders made the playoffs only seven times.
The Islanders finished as the first wild card that season. That allowed them to bypass the tougher Metropolitan Division in the playoffs. Instead they played Florida, a really good team, but far preferable to Washington, Pittsburgh, or the Rangers. After winning game five in 2OT, they had a chance to end the series in Brooklyn in game 6.
The Islanders were pressing the entire night, but couldn’t solve Roberto Loungo. An early third period goal from Jonathan Huberdeau seemed like the eventual game winner. The Panthers’ one goal lead held into the final minute of play. It seemed like a game seven would have to decide the series.
After it seemed like the Panthers were going to score into the empty net, the Islanders defence were able to give the offence one more chance to score. Nick Leddy skated the puck 200 feet into the offensive zone. He backhanded the puck on goal and it sat in the crease. Only John Tavares, who bolted right to the puck from the bench saw the puck and tied the game for the Islanders. The game was headed to overtime.
The two overtime frames were tense and heart-stopping. Both teams had glorious opportunities to end the game. Something eventually had to give. With under ten minutes to play in double OT, Okposo relayed a pass to Tavares who caught Loungo out of his crease. After retrieving his own rebound, he wrapped the puck around and into the net. Bedlam in Brooklyn. The Islanders did it.
Thankfully, this wasn’t a one-off. The Islanders advanced again in 2019, a testament to how far the team had come in 10 years. With the departure of Tavares, and victory against Pittsburgh, this historic game lost some of its former glory. Still, it’s undoubtedly the climax of the decade. Years of heartbreak and underachieving were finally gone. The series and game were so closely contested. It was a storybook ending for the ages. The game defines the Islanders’ past decade, but it already seems like even better days are ahead for the Blue and Orange.
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Honorable mentions:
Islanders score seven in third period against Vancouver (March 10, 2014)
In what was a disappointing season for the Isles’, their fans woke up the next morning with incredible news after their late-night game in Vancouver. Josh Bailey, Ryan Strome, Calvin de Haan, Frans Nielsen, Matt Martin, Anders Lee, and Cal Clutterbuck all scored in a statement win. John Tavares was injured in the Olympics a month prior, and the team was in the middle of a long west coast road trip. They missed the playoffs, but the victory was mighty sweet nonetheless.
Jaroslav Halak shuts out the Rangers in the Garden (January 13, 2015)
In the middle of a dominant 2014-2015 season, Halak proved to Isles’ fans that he could consistently beat their arch rival, the New York Rangers. The Isles’ marched into MSG after a long road trip and snapped a successful stretch for the Blueshirts. It was Halak’s 23rd win of the season and it vaulted the Isles into first place in the Eastern Conference. After a half decade of the Rangers dominating the Isles, things looked to be changing.
Greiss stones Barkov on the penalty shot in OT (April 22, 2016)
The Islanders don’t advance on home ice without this series saving stop in game 5. After Calvin de Haan played the puck with his hand in the crease, Barkov was awarded a penalty shot. He was stoned by Griess who helped the Islanders win game five and the series.
Finally, let’s look back at all the Islanders that won awards this decade.