Maple Leafs' John Tavares scores first goal against New York Islanders

April 2 (UPI) -- Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares had the decisive score against his former team, the New York Islanders, at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

In the second game against his former team, Tavares tallied his first goal against the Islanders since leaving the franchise in free agency before the 2018-19 season.

Tavares netted his 46th goal of the season with a rocket one-timer from the left face-off circle. Tavares picked up a drop pass from Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner and fired a shot into the top-left corner of the net to beat Islanders goaltender Robin Lehner.

The goal gave the Maple Leafs a 2-0 lead in the third period as Toronto held off the Islanders for a 2-1 victory Monday night. Tavares' score gave him the 87th point of the season, breaking his previous career high of 86 points as a member of the Islanders during the 2014-15 campaign.

In Tavares' first game against his former team Feb. 28, he was held without a point and met with a chorus of boos.

The Maple Leafs clinched a postseason berth with the win. Toronto is locked into a first-round matchup against the Boston Bruins, with the home-ice advantage still up for grabs as the regular season concludes.

Toronto (46-26-7) has three games left in the regular season. The Maple Leafs play the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.