Article content Toronto Maple Leafs at New York Islanders 7 p.m. Thursday, NYCB Live We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or GAME DAY: Maple Leafs at Islanders Back to video TV: TSN RADIO: TSN 1050 THE BIG MATCHUP C John Tavares vs. C Mathew Barzal Tavares will find it hard to keep his mind on hockey in this emotional return to his first team – in its old building – and with numerous visual distractions from fans wanting to slam or salute his departure. Barzal, with a natural hat trick in the December meeting between the teams, will have the wind at his back. KEYS TO THE GAME 1.ANYONE FOR SECONDS? For the second time in the season’s series, the Leafs will face the Isles at theend of a back to back. The scheduling did the Leafs no favours back on Dec. 28, as they came home from a win in Columbus and fell 4-0 to New York. The Isles just got forwards Andrew Ladd and Thomas Hickey back in the lineup, returning the club to a healthy roster. 2. SKILL VS. WILL The Leafs shed Matt Martin and Leo Komarov, two players who kept the opposition on their toes and questions about Toronto’s playoff toughness have raged ever since. With Nazem Kadri still out and no last line change, this is another test of how well they handle the bump and grind.<doc-sep>UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 02: The New York Islanders celebrate a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on February 02, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) The New York Islanders beat the Toronto Maple Leafs by six goals to one. Making it clear that the Islanders don’t need Tavares. What do you take away from the game? The New York Islanders had a nearly perfect game by beating the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 6-1 in John Tavares’ return. It was the best way to welcome back their former captain. You couldn’t script a better game from the Islanders perspective. They absolutely dominated the anointed Stanley Cup champions back in September. Kept John Tavares off the scoresheet. And passed their points total from last season. So what can we take away from the game aside from the fact that the Isles are one of the best in the league? We Actually Don’t Need Him Throughout the game, fans chanted that they didn’t need John Tavares, and they proved it tonight. Six times they were able to put the puck in the net. From six different goal scorers. The depth scoring on this team hasn’t always been on display, but it sure was tonight. The Islanders showed how a team can come together where they don’t need to fit around a single star. As a team, they can do anything. Casey Cizikas Is A Beast He should have had two goals tonight. But his second was awarded to Nick Leddy. That’s Cizikas’ 18th goal of the year. Over the last three seasons, he’s scored 23 goals. He’s five goals off. And at the pace he’s going, he’s going to better that. The way Cizikas scored his only goal, was remarkable. He single-handedly kept the Leafs in their own zone, caused a turnover, and then buried a short-handed goal. Beautiful. Scoring By Committee The Islanders scored goals from all four lines and from the defense. When they’re on their game they can get production from anywhere in the lineup. That’s something we haven’t seen from the Isles all year. And it’s a welcomed sign as they head to the playoffs.<doc-sep>John Tavares will make his highly anticipated return to Long Island on Thursday as the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the New York Islanders in a clash pegged as a virtual pick’em on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Tavares tallied a goal and an assist in Toronto’s 6-2 rout of the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night, which marked the team’s third straight victory ahead of Thursday night’s Maple Leafs vs. Islanders betting matchup at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. But while the Maple Leafs have enjoyed steady success at home, with wins in six of their past seven, they have struggled on the road, falling to defeat in five of their past eight away from Scotiabank Arena, including consecutive losses to Arizona and St. Louis to close out a recent six-game road trip. The Maple Leafs will face an Islanders squad mired in a slump that threatens to topple them from atop the Metropolitan Division standings. New York is coming off a 3-1 loss to the visiting Calgary Flames as a -115 wager on Tuesday, and has now dropped four of seven overall. The Islanders have also fallen to defeat in four of five meetings with Toronto, but blanked the Maple Leafs 4-0 as +180 road underdogs on December 29. Elsewhere on the Thursday NHL odds, the Oilers look to rebound from Wednesday’s lopsided loss in Toronto as +200 underdogs as they travel to Ottawa to battle the beleaguered Senators as rare -155 road favourites, while the Vancouver Canucks visit the Coyotes as +120 underdogs. The Oilers’ fading playoff hopes have all but evaporated during a 3-9-4 run that leaves the club lagging nine points out of the hunt for a wild card in the Western Conference. Edmonton has particularly struggled on the road, losing five straight and 11 of 15 since mid-December. The Senators are in a freefall as they return home to face the Oilers as +125 underdogs. Ottawa has lost five straight, and 12 of 15 overall, capped by a 7-2 loss in Washington as +265 underdogs on Tuesday in their first outing since a trade deadline fire sale that resulted in the departures of Matt Duchene, Mark Stone, and Ryan Dzingel. However, the Senators have regularly topped Edmonton with wins in six of their last eight meetings since March 2014, according to the OddsShark NHL Database. The Canucks travel to the desert riding a three-game losing streak against the Coyotes, and have dropped seven of nine to Arizona, including a pair of one-goal decisions earlier this season.<doc-sep>
The matchup fans of the New York Islanders have been anticipating since the dawn of free agency season is finally upon us as John Tavares and the Toronto Maple Leafs visit Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Tavares was definitely staying with the Islanders up until the clock struck midnight and he turned into a pumpkin which ensured that the Islanders got absolutely nothing for their former franchise center. Islanders fans are demonstrably angry at their former Captain while main stream mediacan't quite figure out why, mainly because it's comprised of guys who are famous for eating cat feces and smoking cigarettes. The Islanders have a built in advantage in this one as the Maple Leafs played last night and are rolling with Garret Sparks. Sparks is a slightly below average, mediocre netminder while Frederick Andersen is well above average. The best route to victory may be for the Islanders to push pace more than they usually do while relying on their solid netminding as the try to take advantage of an inferior netminder and a tired hockey team. Robin Lehner will get the start for a fourth game in a row. It's a bit bewildering as Lehner hasn't been as good as Thomas Greiss this season and allowed two low danger goals against the Calgary Flames in his last contest. Greiss will get the backup duty tonight. The lone lineup change for the Islanders looks to be Scott Mayfield back in for Thomas Hickey as the ease Hickey back into action. With any luck, the days of Tom Kuhnhackl will be behind Islanders fans as the rosters have been expanded. The team did sign Dennis Seidenberg for the remainder of the season, but if he gets into any games it will be because they've already clinched their playoff spot or something went horribly wrong. Game time is at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T.