It already feels like yesterday when John Tavares scored his 1,000th NHL point at UBS Arena and a cacophony of boos descended on the former Islanders captain.
The Islanders won 4-3 in overtime, but Thursday's Chapter 2 will focus on a thriving Toronto unit that has won four straight and outscored opponents 16-3.
Granted, three of those four games were against ineffective opponents like the Ducks and Sharks.
Meanwhile, the Islanders have had a rough stretch of their January schedule, folding in the second half against a pesky Golden Knights forecheck and getting pounded by an opportunistic Canucks club.
Ilya Sorokin's play was not as good as usual.
The 2022-23 Vezina Trophy finalist looks tired without Semyon Varlamov providing reliable support.
Sorokin has allowed four or more goals in two of his last three games and 15 this season.
Expectations for Sorokin were set astronomically high in terms of making up for the Islanders' shortcomings.
When he failed to provide a game-changing save on every defensive lapse, the Islanders slipped.
The group in front of him is taking 32.1 shots per night, the second-most in the league. Therefore, it is not correct to place all the blame on Sorokin.
And the Islanders have the 10th highest puck turn rate in the NHL, while Toronto ranks 11th in forced turnovers.
William Nylander continues to be as dangerous as ever after signing a huge eight-year contract extension on Monday.
Would you bet on the NHL?
The Swedish superstar has been on the scoresheet in all but four games this season and ranks fifth in the league's points list.
Complementing him is Auston Matthews, the NHL's leading scorer, and Mitch Marner, the best playmaker.
The Isles are well-suited for high-danger scoring with the consistency of Matt Barzal and Bo Horvat, but I'd like to conjure up a confident attacking image and gradually gain stability in the crease. It's a blow to the team that is in charge.
play: Maple Leafs puck line -1.5 goals.
