There is no alternative for Islanders center John Tavares on Saturday. If the Isles lose Game 6, their next stop is Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. That’s not something the superstar center is ready to contemplate.
“We have to win,’’ Tavares said Friday at what potentially was the Islanders’ last-ever Coliseum practice. “We’re trying to play for a Stanley Cup. There’s a lot out there with the history. We have to feed off our crowd, understanding our backs against the wall. We have to win.’’
Not too much pressure for an Islanders squad that burned up the NHL in the season’s first half, but now is on the verge of being bounced out in the first round and bounced from Long Island after 42 seasons.