Islanders aren’t rushing to wear neck guards

 John Tavares admitted the moment was “surreal.”

 The Maple Leafs captain was celebrating his 1,000th career point against the Islanders, the team that drafted him first overall in 2009 and where he spent his first nine NHL seasons. 

 “You see all your teammates come out and it’s really special,” Tavares said after his assist on the tying goal forced overtime where the   Maple Leafs lost 4-3. on Monday night at UBS Arena. “For me, it’s the uniqueness of doing it where I played the first nine years of my career and is a big part of who I am.”

 “A tremendous accomplishment,” Islanders coach Lane Lambert said. “He gave this organization a lot of good years of hockey.”

Tavares had a second-period goal to bring the Maple Leafs within 3-2, then set up defenseman Morgan Rielly’s tying goal with 6.4 seconds left in regulation as the team skated six-on-five.

 Tavares, 33, notched his first 621 points with the Islanders before signing a seven-year, $77 million deal with his hometown Maple Leafs in 2018.

 “It’s been a great ride so far, a great journey,” Tavares said. “Obviously you want to celebrate in a win but very proud of it. In certain ways, you’re just kind of happy it’s happened. You can move forward and there will be a time and place to soak it in a little more.”

Isles files

Center Bo Horvat extended his point streak to seven games with his overtime winner…Defenseman Noah Dobson had a season-high three assists as his point streak reached four games…Defenseman Mike Reilly returned to the ice and finished the game after briefly retreating to the Islanders’ dressing room in the third period. He got tangled with Tyler Bertuzzi’s skates and went hard into the end boards at 9:27, seemingly banging his left shoulder…Defenseman Grant Hutton was re-assigned to the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.