NEW YORK _ There were boos and chants, of course, with John Tavares remaining Public Enemy No. 1 in the minds of Islanders' fans. But the vitriol was much more subdued than his first return and Tavares quieted the sellout crowd further with what proved to be the winning goal to help his new team clinch a playoff berth.
In the process, the Islanders' chances of finishing first in the Metropolitan Division were severely diminished while they are now at greater risk of not locking up home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs.
The Maple Leafs held on for a 2-1 win on Monday night before a crowd of 13,917 at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum in the regular season home-finale. Jordan Eberle's power-play goal at 14:55 of the third halved the Islanders' deficit but the furious late rally fell short.
