Tavares opened the scoring almost 5 1/2 minutes into the second period to end a five-game goalless drought and spark the Islanders offense en route to a 3-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators.
Tavares wasn't alone in criticizing the team's performance Monday, as head coach Jack Capuano called for more secondary scoring from his team. He received it Wednesday from NHL hits leader Matt Martin, who ended a 13-game goalless drought of his own later in the second.
In one game, the Islanders matched their goal total from their previous three, as Brock Nelson gave his team a commanding three goal lead heading into the third.
The win came at the perfect time for the Islanders, as they increase their cushion atop the wild-card standings to four points ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings with 10 games remaining.
Their upcoming schedule should also give them confidence as three of their next four come against non-playoff teams, a back-to-back against the Carolina Hurricanes beginning Saturday, and they host the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 31.
Slated to become restricted free agents at season's end, star forwards Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan are set to receive significant raises on their current $925,000 salaries from the Calgary Flames.
While both are at least four years away from unrestricted free agency, Gaudreau is hopeful he can continue playing with Monahan for far longer.
"I could see us playing together for the next 10 years," Gaudreau said, per Sportsnet's Chris Johnston. "That's how much I like playing with that guy."
Admitting he and Monahan have talked about their contract situations in the past, the American couldn't hide his enthusiasm when discussing how much he enjoyed playing with the center.
"It's fun," said Gaudreau. "You try to get him the puck anywhere in the offensive zone. If he gets a point-blank shot, most of the time it's going in. He's got an unbelievable shot. It's so fun playing with him."
While the Flames won't be returning to the playoffs this season, the future looks bright with the young duo, who sit first and second in team scoring, after trailing only Jiri Hudler - since traded to the Florida Panthers - one year ago.
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin is being disciplined in the minors once again — this time for missing a pre-practice team meeting.
Syracuse Crunch general manager Julien BriseBois announced Drouin will not play in the American Hoc...
Jonathan Drouin has six points in six games since returning to the Tampa Bay Lightning's AHL affiliate earlier in March, but the 20-year-old finds himself sidelined by team discipline once again after missing a team meeting.
The Syracuse Crunch will keep Drouin out of the lineup Wednesday against the Utica Comets after the forward missed a pre-practice meeting Tuesday due to an alarm clock issue.
Lightning assistant general manager Julien Brisebois said Drouin will sit out just one game, and this incident won't change how the organization feels about him.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Red Berenson was out of a job with the St. Louis Blues less than one year after being named NHL Coach of the Year.
Scotty Bowman was there to help, hiring one of his former players to be an assistant coach for him with the ...
The Chicago Blackhawks released a statement Saturday regarding prospect Garret Ross after he was charged with one count of non-consensual dissemination of a private sexual image - also known as "revenge porn" - per police reports.
On Saturday afternoon, March 19, 2016, the Chicago Blackhawks and Rockford IceHogs learned of a legal proceeding against IceHogs player Garret Ross. At that time, we excused Garret from team activities pending our preliminary review of the matter. After further review, we have determined to suspend Garret indefinitely pending the outcome of the legal process. Because this is a pending legal proceeding, we will have no further comment at this time.
The 23-year-old, currently playing with the AHL's Rockford IceHogs, could be sentenced to up to three years in prison as the charge is a Class 4 felony, according to Tracey Myers of CSN Chicago.
Ross has appeared in 59 games for the IceHogs this season, and is in the final year of his contract with the Blackhawks.
Sure, they lost to both of the potential Western Conference wild-card teams, the Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild, but it was on a road back-to-back.
The Kings became the first Western Conference team to clinch a playoff berth with a win Saturday over the Boston Bruins, and rallied to stun the New York Rangers in overtime two days before that.
If they're still playing this well when he comes back, look out.
4. St. Louis Blues ▲ (Last Week: 5)
The Blues shot up from 10th to fifth last week, and they're still climbing thanks to Brian Elliott, who nailed down two consecutive shutouts after returning from injury over the weekend.
5. San Jose Sharks ▼ (Last Week: 3)
A decisive win over the Rangers is nice, but splitting a pair of games against the Arizona Coyotes and being shut out by the Blues drops the Sharks down a couple of pegs.
6. Anaheim Ducks ▼ (Last Week: 4)
The Ducks can't be losing to lowly teams like the Montreal Canadiens, but Anaheim has a chance to get back on track with six of its next seven games coming against the other Canadian clubs.
7. Nashville Predators ▲ (Last Week: 10)
Pekka Rinne has rediscovered his form, and so have the rest of the Predators, who are suddenly four points behind the Blackhawks with a game in hand.
Since Feb 12, #Preds are tied for 1st in pts, Hawks are 29th. NSH could be 2 pts back on Thurs.
Much like the Stars' success without Seguin, the Penguins have been rolling without Evgeni Malkin. Pittsburgh extended its win streak to six with victories over the Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, and Capitals since our last edition.
9. Florida Panthers ▼ (Last Week: 6)
The Panthers couldn't win one for Kevin Spacey when he showed up Saturday, and they got doubled up by the Rangers two nights later.
Florida's final seven regular-season games are against non-playoff teams, but a divisional clash with the Bruins and a meeting with the interstate rival Lightning await before that soft stretch.
10. Tampa Bay Lightning ▲ (Last Week: 12)
Speaking of the Lightning, they played well in a loss to the Stars last Thursday, shut out the Coyotes on Saturday, and dismantled the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.
11. Boston Bruins ▼ (Last Week: 8)
A three-game California road trip is tough enough these days, but facing Anaheim and L.A. on a back-to-back? Forget about it.
That's what the Bruins will hope to do after losing to the Sharks, Ducks, and Kings in a span of five days.
12. Colorado Avalanche ▲ (Last Week: 16)
The Avalanche needed to take advantage of their Western Canadian road trip, and winning three out of four will do the trick. That's three straight and five of the last six.
13. Minnesota Wild ▲ (Last Week: 17)
The Wild matched the Avalanche by winning three out of four games since our last edition. Minnesota remained undefeated against the Blackhawks this season, and also beat the Kings.
The race for the second wild-card spot in the West is getting good, and it'll be appointment viewing Saturday when the Avalanche host the Wild.
14. New York Rangers ▲ (Last Week: 15)
The Rangers keep hanging around but haven't been overly impressive, even in wins over the Panthers and Ducks. Throw in losses to the Sharks and Kings and you get another inconsistent week for the Blueshirts.
15. New York Islanders ▼ (Last Week: 7)
The Islanders were ranked fourth here two weeks ago, but that was before losing to the rebuilding Toronto Maple Leafs, and New York has now dropped six of their last seven games.
16. Chicago Blackhawks ▼ (Last Week: 9)
Five losses in six games. Is it time to start panicking in the Windy City?
That late collapse against the Columbus Blue Jackets was brutal, but wins against the Blackhawks and Islanders have Philadelphia ahead of the Red Wings in the second wild-card spot with a game in hand on Detroit.
18. Detroit Red Wings (Last Week: 18)
The Red Wings haven't budged from this position in a couple weeks, and with good reason. They're not really doing enough to warrant a higher spot.
Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Lightning kept Detroit on the outside of the playoff picture, albeit by the slimmest of margins.
Smith-Pelly's old team picked up a big, unexpected victory Tuesday over the Ducks, but the Canadiens' play has been pretty forgettable since Carey Price went down.
21. Columbus Blue Jackets ▲ (Last Week: 23)
Columbus did what it could to damage the Flyers' quest for a playoff spot with a come-from-behind win over Philadelphia on Tuesday. All the Blue Jackets can do at this point is play spoiler.
22. Ottawa Senators ▼ (Last Week: 19)
When asked about changes amid a disappointing season, Senators owner Eugene Melnyk said, "nobody is safe."
Niklas Backstrom played an NHL game for the first time in over a year and won. That's what this Flames' season has come to.
27. Toronto Maple Leafs ▲ (Last Week: 29)
The Leafs are still terrible, but William Nylander is giving the fanbase hope - something it hasn't had in ages.
28. Winnipeg Jets ▼ (Last Week: 26)
The Jets are very bad now, but they're going to be very good soon.
29. Edmonton Oilers ▲ (Last Week: 30)
A wild win over the Blues last week probably says more about St. Louis' goaltending issues before Elliott's return, but the Oilers will take it.
30. Vancouver Canucks ▼ (Last Week: 28)
The Canucks have lost five straight games, and they've somehow been shut out in each of their last three, by the Oilers, Blues, and Jets, respectively.
After No. 1 goalie Cory Schneider went down with injury, New Jersey Devils backup Keith Kinkaid shone in the spotlight, being named the NHL's third star of the week ending March 13 after allowing just one goal across a pair of wins.
But Kinkaid's luck soon soured as he's allowed 13 goals across his last three appearances, eventually being pulled in Saturday's loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, losing the starter's job to 23-year-old Scott Wedgewood.
Discussing his struggles with reporters Friday, Kinkaid was rather harsh in his criticism.
"Worst player of the week," the 26-year-old suggested, per Rich Chere of NJ.com. "It could be true. No, it's just about getting my game together. It's a growing process. I've only had a few losses in that stretch and a couple of good wins. I just have to manage with the consistency."
The Devils find themselves six points out of a playoff spot with just nine games remaining in the season. Wedgewood will get his second consecutive start Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Stadium Series game that will pit the Pennsylvania-based teams against one another was originally scheduled for Feb. 18, but will now take place Feb. 25.
The game commemorates the 50th anniversary of both franchises and will see the teams do battle at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. The NHL also announced that the game will be broadcast in prime time at 8 p.m. ET.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Notre Dame will join the Big Ten as a hockey-only member beginning with the 2017-18 season.
The conference announced the addition Wednesday, giving the fledgling league seven teams.
Arizona State is a possibility for an ...