For the second year in a row, the Toronto Maple Leafs are heading home early while the New York Islanders are preparing for another playoff series. Technically, John Tavares and the Leafs didn’t even make the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They were bounced in the Qualifying Round by the upstart Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Islanders, on the other hand, are moving onto a seven-game series with the Washington Capitals after easily dispatching the Florida Panthers in four games.
When Tavares spurned the Isles for his hometown Maple Leafs, things looked bleak for the team on Long Island.