"Same player, same building, different circumstance.

At the Senators home opener, they came to bury John Tavares, not to praise him, as they did when he wore Canada's colours and helped deliver a World Junior championship here just nine months ago.

"It seems like yesterday," Tavares said, before the second game of his NHL career.

Lessons come daily for the 19-year-old, selected first overall by the New York Islanders last summer, a fallen franchise's great saviour.

In his first game, Tavares learned he could score at this level, producing a goal and assist in an overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Against the Senators, the Franchise discovered if you stand around with your head down, defenceman Anton Volchenkov will knock you into tomorrow.

Tavares, revered by these same fans in January, had them roaring in delight as he was sent flying on his backside by Volchenkov, the big Russian's second massive hit on a rookie in two games — he knocked the Maple Leafs Viktor Stalberg out of the game with a clean shoulder check in Toronto on Tuesday.

Eventually, a good game broke out — ended abruptly by Mike Fisher's goal 32 seconds into overtime on a rush down his off wing.

Ottawa's first goal came while the Islanders were expecting play to be whistled dead after the puck hit the high netting above the glass — the Senators played on, a good plan considering rookie Peter Regin scored his second career goal in the ensuing sequence.

Kyle Okposo and Matt Moulson scored in regulation for the Islanders.

Matt Carkner, Ottawa's other "sniper" this night is the guy you want riding shotgun with you to Vegas (unless it's goaltender Pascal Leclaire). He's that hot. Took him eight pro seasons to reach the NHL and the 29-year-old Carkner is making the most of his first NHL gig. His first NHL goal will sound a lot better when he tells his grandchildren about it.

In truth, he threw the puck at the crease from the side of the net, and it banked in off the skate of Islanders goaltender Martin Biron. Back at the bench, Carkner couldn't wipe the grin off his face.

Biron couldn't match his french-Canadian counterpart, Leclaire, who stole a goal from Tavares, on a highlight reel move fans here could learn to love. The kid stared at a wide open net until Leclaire snapped his left pad across — a stunning save Tavares could not believe, and would not have seen in junior.

Tavares will be back, and he'll be better. It helps that he has signed on for the sleepover/mentor program running rampant in the NHL. Ever since Sid Crosby moved in with the Mario Lemieux family, the bug is catching. This fall, Daniel and Bibi Alfredsson opened their home to the Senators Swedish rookie, Erik Karlsson.

The Tavares mentor is calling veteran centre Doug Weight "my second dad," as Tavares says Weight has become known in the Isles room.

Evidently, Tavares isn't yet the strong babysitter Karlsson has proven to be with the Alfredsson kids.

"Last week, my wife stayed in town (New York) with some friends," Weight says, warming up to fake grief. "I say to John, we've got the kids to ourselves, we can cook some steaks, and he says, 'oh, I'm going to the Yankee game.' I said, oh, only one ticket eh, great. So I was on my own that night.""