The New York Islanders have finally done it. It took them 23 years, but they won their first series since 1993.
With the Isles trailing 1-0 in the final minute of regulation, it looked like we were headed to Game 7 in Sunrise, Florida. John Tavares had other ideas.
Instead of shipping down to Florida for another game, Tavares took it upon himself to send the Panthers packing. The 25-year-old made sure his team wouldn’t go down without a fight. With 53.2 seconds left in the third period, Tavares got the Islanders on the board …1-1 (top).
There was a little controversy surrounding the goal. Moments before Tavares scored the game-tying goal, Matt Martin tripped Vincent Trocheck in the Islanders zone, but the officials decided against making a call.
You be the judge:
The first overtime period solved nothing, but guess who was back at it in the second OT. If you guessed Tavares, you’re right.
Predictably, people on Twitter were pretty impressed by Tavares’ work.
The Islanders will now take on the Bolts in the second round.