UNIONDALE, N.Y. — He had one of the biggest buildups in junior hockey history, with one of those #LoseforThePotentialSavior Twitter hashtag movements to which Connor McDavid can now relate.
The New York Islanders were the lucky losers of 2009, landing John Tavares with the first overall pick of the draft. As we know now, six years later, they may have hit the lottery with him but have yet to hit the jackpot.
The odds of the latter happening got mathematically better Wednesday night. Tavares scored no goals in the Islanders' 4-1 victory over the host Washington Capitals, but he probably made the biggest play of the night.