Yet rather than outsprint Tavares to the puck, he hesitated just a second and knocked Tavares on the ground before going on his way.
Miller, the 2010 Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL's top goalie, was also bailed out when Tavares hit the post on a semi-breakaway earlier in the third.
"There's still a lot of hockey to be played, and, as short as the season is, if we get our points, we can get in, " said center John Tavares, the 2009 first-overall draft choice.
Tavares grabbed the puck and snapped off a crisp wrist shot from the hashmarks that beat Vokoun at 5:36.
Tavares is the No. 1 reason why the Islanders' future is promising.
Tavares got the Islanders even at 1 in the final minute of the first period with his sixth goal of the season.
Tavares put the Islanders up 1-0 when he put an in-close backhander past Lindback during a power play at 10:22 of the second.
Carlos Tavares, the chairman of Nissan Americas, said the company will be compiling input from taxi riders and drivers in New York about how best to configure and trim the van interiors.
FORBES: Nissan To Be Next Supplier of New York City Taxi Cabs
But Tavares, the No. 1 overall draft choice in 2009, gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead just 5:36 into the game by taking a backhand pass from Josh Bailey, taking an extra beat to pick a spot, then snapping a shot over the glove of Penguins goaltender Tomas Vokoun.
Streit took another shot from inside the blue line that beat Fleury because Tavares swept into the slot and tipped the puck, changing its trajectory just enough.
"You feel like when he gets the puck, no one's going to take it away from him, " said John Tavares, whom the Islanders took with the top pick in the 2009 draft.
Miller, playing in his 500th game with the Sabres, sealed the win when he stopped John Tavares' shot in the third round of the shootout.
Matt Moulson set up the goal with a backhanded pass from the low slot to Tavares, who was positioned near the post.
The argument for Tavares is simpler: Without him, would the Islanders be relevant at all, let alone a potential playoff team?
Evgeni Nabokov made 18 saves for second shutout this season and 54th overall in the NHL, John Tavares scored his 17th goal, and the Islanders beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 on Thursday night.
Nabokov made an in-close save on Victor Hedman in the second period, and Tavares had a power-play goal midway through the frame to help the Islanders improve to 4-1-2 over their last seven games.
The Penguins held the NHL's third-leading goal scorer without a shot during their remarkably easy 5-0 victory in Game 1 on Wednesday, the first time all year Tavares failed to get at least one puck on the net.
After he got free from Ehrhoff, Tavares planted himself on the far side of the net before stuffing Brian Strait's shot past Miller.
"There are not many games left and there are so many points that we need still, " said John Tavares, who iced the game in the third period with his 22nd goal of the season.
Any concerns Pittsburgh was too soft to make a run at the Cup were dispelled in the opener when defenseman Kris Letang and Tavares found themselves sprinting toward a puck behind the Penguins' net.
They close their season with five straight road games, and if they miss the playoffs, Tavares's MVP bid will go kaput.
Tavares scored his second of the game and 26th overall at 14:40.
According to Tavares, July is historically the month when more birds arrive at the center for rehabilitation after washing up on the beaches weakened, injured or covered in oil.
Josh Bailey dug the puck out of the right corner and fed a perfect backhanded pass out to Tavares, who was left alone as he skated into the slot.
Tavares Speaks hit a bucket as the halftime buzzer sounded that put the Flames ahead 35-34 heading into the break.
As the Islanders celebrated, Tavares was showered with chants of "M-V-P, M-V-P" one day after he was announced as a finalist for the Hart Trophy.
"We've proven we have the ability to make the playoffs and be a tough team to play against and compete with every team in the league, " Tavares said.
Then Tavares scored, and Casey Cizikas put the game away with 1:16 left by stashing a shot behind Fleury, who was preparing to leave his net for an extra attacker.
应用推荐