Tavares will miss the remainder of the season with a torn medial collateral ligament and meniscus tear in his left knee sustained during Canada's quarterfinal game against Latvia at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
"You feel bad for him, especially how much he was looking forward to it before the Olympics and coming back to help us make our playoff push," Tavares' teammate and roommate Colin McDonald told the Islanders' website. "At this point it's set in and you just want him to get healthy and be ready for next year."
Tavares is third in the League and tops the Islanders with 66 points in 59 games, and his 24 goals are tied with Kyle Okposo for the team lead.
The first pick of the 2009 NHL Draft, Tavares has led the Islanders in scoring in each of his five seasons.
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