RALEIFG, N.C. — It’s turned out to be an eventful week for John Tavares.
On Tuesday he was named to his fourth All-Star Game, third in a row. On Friday, he scored his first hat trick in three years to break through the 500-point plateau for his career, only the 10th player in Islanders history to do so.
That’s barely enough to draw a smile from the Isles captain, whom you’re inclined to believe when he says he wasn’t really aware of the approach of 500 points until earlier this week.
“Honestly, it’s nice to get it over with,” Tavares said after the 5-2 win over the Panthers on Friday in Florida.