Tavares feels love from Maple Leafs fans before win against Sabres

TORONTO --John Tavares was overcome with emotion.

Just 48 hours after he had been razzed and jeered by New York Islanders supporters upon his return to Long Island, the Toronto Maple Leafs center received a much warmer welcome from the capacity crowd at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.
When Tavares skated to the blue line as part of the starting lineup introductions prior to the game against the Buffalo Sabres, his teammates peeled away from him in order to let the Maple Leafs crowd express how it felt about the native of nearby Oakville, Ontario. Standing alone in the spotlight, Toronto fans gave him a deafening standing ovation.
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"It was a pretty special moment, certainly, to be recognized like that," Tavares said after the Maple Leafs' 5-2 victory against the Sabres. "To get the support from the city and the fans shows you why it's special to be a Maple Leaf. Definitely got some goosebumps and a nice little boost there."

Tavares said he was not aware of who was responsible for the gesture but appreciated the support he received from within the Maple Leafs locker room. Many of his teammates felt they had let him down in Toronto's 6-1 defeat against New York on Thursday, his first game in front of Islanders fans since signing a seven-year, $77 million contract with the Maple Leafs in the offseason.
"We've got a special group in here, tremendous people, not just hockey players," Tavares said. "Just the support we give one another in a moment like that is certainly something I'll always remember. I think it shows how tight we are in here and I really appreciated it."
Linemate Mitchell Marner, who like Tavares finished the night with three points (one goal, two assists for each), said the former Islanders captain was more than worthy of such a warm reception.
"Yeah, it was great," Marner said. "He deserved that. It was great seeing the fans interact with him like that and give him that ovation after that night in New York. Obviously, it wasn't the way we wanted to play (Thursday). It wasn't the game we wanted, and it was pretty harsh on him so this was great moment for him, coming home and getting that ovation."
Tavares responded by opening the scoring at 4:20 of the first period. He was named the game's first star.
Marner (23 goals, 55 assists, 78 points) and Tavares (37 goals, 34 assists, 71 points) became the first Maple Leafs teammates to surpass the 70-point mark in a season since Alexander Mogilny (79) and Mats Sundin (72) in 2002-03.
Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock was not perturbed by the rough ride Tavares was given by Islanders fans. He was glad to see how Torontonians embraced him on Saturday.
"I thought it was great, but I also thought the people in New York showed the passion they have for John the other night too," Babcock said. "Unless you're a great athlete, unless they love you, they don't do that. To me, when you get booed on the road, you must be something special. That's the way I look at that.
"Our fans obviously wanted to support him in here tonight, he's an important part of our team, he made a great decision for himself and for his family. To me, that's how you make decisions anyway. We're thrilled to have him. Good for us, good for the team to get a win."