It's safe to say John Tavares' secondary return to Long Island went much better than his initial homecoming.
Tavares once again returned to Nassau Coliseum on Monday night and scored his first goal on the Island as a visitor. Tavares was able to get on the board in the third period of the Maple Leafs' 2-1 win over the Islanders, providing what ultimately proved to be the game-winning goal for Toronto. It came on a beautiful top-shelf snipe.
That tally -- his 46th of the season -- also means that Tavares now has scored a goal against all 31 NHL franchises during his career.
After leaving the Islanders for the Maple Leafs in free agency last summer, Tavares' first return to Long Island came on Feb. 28, when he was blanked on the scoresheet in a lopsided 6-1 loss to the Isles. The hometown fans mercilessly taunted the former Islanders captain in that first game back, throwing plastic snakes at his feet and taunting him with deafening chants throughout the game. They even booed throughout the tribute video that honored Tavares' nine years with the Isles.
JT was once again met with an angry, bitter reception on Monday night in the Islanders' final home game of the regular season, though it wasn't quite as brutal as Tavares Bowl I. It's probably a good bet that the scoreboard had something to do with that.
