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NHL

Tavares Scores, Sid Shows How to Win

Posted Oct 03, 2009 11:50PM By Christopher Botta (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Islanders, Penguins

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John Tavares scoresUNIONDALE, N.Y. -- The kid didn't even try to act cool.

Immediately after backhanding the puck past Marc-Andre Fleury at 7:01 of the second period for his first NHL goal, John Tavares joyfully pointed toward the hysterical home crowd and jumped into the arms of linemate Matt Moulson. The 2009 first overall pick didn't have to act like he'd been there before. He hadn't.

What a scene.


This is the way Tavares and the Islanders would have drawn it up if they had the chance. Send a message that the Islanders belong on Long Island. Place the puck near the goalmouth and on the stick of the 19-year old with the golden hands and cherish the delirium that ensues as it sails into the net. Defeat the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in front of an overflow crowd ...

(CUE: RECORD SCRATCH SOUND EFFECT)

Okay, so it didn't all wrap up neatly into one big happy ending, like an episode of "Entourage." The Penguins, proving that champions don't take a night off even after raising their banner, came back twice, scored a heartbreaking goal with under four minutes left in regulation and defeated the Islanders 4-3 in a shootout.

Still, in a league where even losing teams can pick up a point in the standings, John Tavares had made his.

"Awesome" was how the 19-year old described the reaction of his teammates and the home fans to his goal. The moment was extra special for Tavares because the first assist came from Moulson, a lifelong family friend from Ontario, and because his mother, father and sister were in the stands. "They sacrificed so much for me to get here," he said.

Tavares carried the right balance of pride in his one-goal, one-assist performance Saturday night and his disappointment at the final result. You get the feeling the last time Tavares will be just happy to be here was his first NHL game. The opening ceremonies and milestones behind him, the 19-year old has plenty of other goals in mind. "I think this franchise is going to continue to build and get better and even this year we might surprise some people," he said. "There is a lot of talent here."

Tavares and the Islanders would be wise to look back on this game as a lesson taught by their masterful opponents. The Penguins raised their Stanley Cup banner during an emotional celebration Friday night in Pittsburgh, then defeated the New York Rangers 3-2 in an often grueling battle. No one would have batted an eye if Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma, after his team landed on Long Island and crawled into their hotel beds early Saturday morning, told his players to simply show up two hours before the faceoff against the Islanders.


Instead, Bylsma and the Penguins were at the Coliseum for the traditional hockey morning skate. Picture the NFL's Adrian Peterson taking a pounding in a big Vikings win over a division rival on Sunday night, then putting the pads on Monday morning for a workout and playing another game that night. This is essentially what Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the rest of the Penguins did in a 24-hour span.

"They are our young leaders," said Pittsburgh veteran Bill Guerin, captain of the Islanders last season. "They work so hard. What you saw tonight is what great players and leaders do. Our effort was there, but for two periods our execution wasn't. With Sid and Geno leading, we didn't stop working until the final horn."

Crosby had a goal, an assist and the second of two Penguins goals in the shootout, which they won 2-0 to take home the second point. Bylsma's decision to treat the Islanders' game as a serious business trip – "We didn't want a hangover," he said – paid off. The team that should have been drained out-shot the rested-since-April Islanders in the third period, 18-5.

"It wasn't so much the flash and the tic-tac-toe plays," said Bylsma. "It was getting off our knees, fighting for possession, winning pucks. That's what sets the tempo and tonight our leaders set it."

Islanders head coach Scott Gordon was not in much of a mood to herald his opponents as role models in work ethic. He chose to focus on his own team in his post-game briefing, calling the Islanders' need to learn how to win "a process" and saying last year's 30th-place finish "was as low as we can possibly go."

For his part, John Tavares – NHL veteran of one game, recent former fan – tipped his hat to the Penguins for their gritty comeback. "That's why they're the Stanley Cup champions," he said. "We're going to be in a lot of close games like tonight. We can learn from this."

Just watch Crosby and company in the the third period. It's all on the tape.
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