John Tavares can add insult to injury in Long Island tonight.
John Tavares has a chance to hit a major milestone in his former home of Long Island on Monday night.
Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares will face off against his former team on Monday night and although returns to New York are always eventful for Tavares, tonight has the chance to be extra special for the captain of the Maple Leafs.
Tavares has had a pretty successful career in the National Hockey League thus far and that has led up to Tavares being just 2 points away from the massive milestone of 1000 career NHL points. Currently Tavares has 998 points to his name and it is feasible that he could add 2 more this evening against his former team, the New York Islanders.
Tavares did not leave Long Island under the best of circumstances and although tonight he will technically be playing at Belmont Park with the Islanders now making their home at UBS Arena, a change of scenery has not mended those wounds. Tavares reaching a major career milestone in front of the very same fans who feel he betrayed them would be like rubbing salt in the wound.
Tavares has produced 23 points (7 goals and 16 assists) over 24 games thus far this season so a 2 point night is certainly not outside the realm of possibility.
It would be fitting to see Tavares record his 1000th point against the Islanders when you consider that 621 of his 998 points were scored as a member of that very same organization. If Tavares manages to pull it off he will become only the 98th player in NHL history to reach the 1000 point milestone.
How such a milestone would be received by fans in Long Island remains to be seen.