DALLAS — His first showdown with the Islanders is still a week away, but facing the Rangers on Saturday night at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena for the first time as a Maple Leaf also will stir the emotions of John Tavares, who spent nine seasons battling in the New York rivalry.
“I think it’s different,” Tavares told Newsday in a telephone conversation on Friday afternoon. “But anytime you’re being part of an Original Six matchup, I definitely notice. There’s something special about that and a uniqueness to that. So it’ll be cool to experience that for the first time, a Toronto-New York Original Six game.