Maple Leafs' John Tavares: Johnny on the spot in OT
Rotowire
Tavares scored the game- and series-winning goal in overtime in Saturday's 2-1 victory over the Lightning. With the win, the Leafs take the Round 1 series 4-2.
Tavares powered his way to the goal early in overtime. He circled the net with the puck and then turned and wheeled as he got to the bottom of the right circle. Morgan Rielly had driven the net and tied up Bolts defender Darren Raddysh at the same moment, and Tavares' shot went off Raddysh's skate and past an unmoving Andrei Vasilevskiy. Tavares finishes Round 1 with four goals and three assists in six games, and he moves into Round 2 for the first time since 2015-16.
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Maple Leafs' John Tavares: Two assists in tough night
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Tavares picked up two assists in a 4-2 loss to Tampa Bay in Game 5 on Thursday.
Tavares had been held scoreless in the previous two games, but he still has six points (three goals, three assists) and 19 shots in five games. Despite the assists, he and Mitch Marner struggled on the night. Tavares will be better in Game 6.
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Maple Leafs' John Tavares: First-ever postseason hat trick
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Tavares scored three goals Thursday in a 7-2 win over the Lightning in Game 2.
It was Tavares' first postseason hattie. The first was a quick shot from the high slot in the first on a nice feed from Morgan Rielly. His second came in the second when he finished a three-on-two break with a nice backhander. And then Tavares was showered with hats in the third when he walked out from the corner on a five-on-three and put a backhander under Andrei Vasilevskiy that the netminder knocked into his own net. Tavares has four points (three goals, one assist) in two games so far this postseason.
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Maple Leafs' John Tavares: On track for Game 1
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Tavares (personal) is expected to play in Game 1 against Tampa Bay on Tuesday, David Alter of Sports Illustrated reports.
Tavares sat out Toronto's regular-season finale against the Rangers on Thursday. He skated as a winger during Sunday's practice alongside Ryan O'Reilly and William Nylander. Tavares amassed 36 goals, 80 points, 277 shots on net and 112 hits in 80 games during the 2022-23 campaign.
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Maple Leafs' John Tavares: Healthy scratch Thursday
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Tavares will be a healthy scratch versus the Rangers on Thursday, David Alter of Sports Illustrated reports.
Tavares will end the season with 36 goals and 80 points, the first time he has hit the 80-point mark since the 2018-19 season. He exploded on the power play this season, tallying 18 times with 21 assists. Tavares also set a career high in hits with 112.
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Maple Leafs' John Tavares: Pots OT winner Monday
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Tavares scored the game-winning goal in Monday's 2-1 overtime victory over the Panthers.
With only 22 seconds left in OT, Tavares got a breakaway on the counterattack and flipped a backhand over Alex Lyon to avoid a shootout. The veteran forward has three goals in the last two games, and over the last 16 contests he's racked up eight goals and 17 points. Tavares needs only one more point in Toronto's final two games to reach 80 for the first time since 2018-19.
Maple Leafs' John Tavares: Two goals help lead way
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Tavares scored twice Saturday in a 7-1 win over the Canadiens.
Tavares scored the winner at 15:16 of the first period, one-timing a pass from Mitchell Marner from the top of the crease. He made it 5-1 at 6:01 of the third with his 35th goal, backhanding a loose puck in the crease on the power play. Tavares has 78 points in 78 games this season and has 352 points in 358 games in blue and white.
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Maple Leafs' John Tavares: Fires nine shots on goal
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Tavares posted nine shots and a minus-2 rating in the Maple Leafs' 5-3 loss to the Hurricanes on Saturday.
While Tavares didn't manage to hit the scoresheet Saturday, he made his presence known, firing nine shots the way of Pyotr Kochetkov. The Maple Leafs' captain has been playing well of late with seven points in his last five games. On the season, Tavares has 30 goals and 72 points in 71 games.
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Maple Leafs' John Tavares: Provides three points Sunday
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Tavares supplied two goals and an assist in a 3-2 win over Nashville on Sunday.
Both of Tavares' goals were scored on the power play, and his second marker proved to be the game-winner. Through 72 appearances in 2022-23, he has 32 goals and 75 points. Tavares is red hot, providing two goals and 10 points over his last six contests. At this rate, the 32-year-old should reach the 80-point milestone for the first time since 2018-19.
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Maple Leafs' John Tavares: Helpers keep coming
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Tavares delivered a trio of assists in a 6-2 win over Florida on Thursday.
JT has three multi-assist games in his last four outings (seven assists including three PPA). Tavares has 72 points, including 42 assists, in 70 games this season. For all the criticism that he has faced in Toronto, Tavares has delivered 346 points (149 goals) in 350 games with the Leafs.
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Maple Leafs' John Tavares: Two points against Canes
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Tavares collected two assists, one on the power play, in Friday's 5-2 win over Carolina.
Both points came in the first period as the Maple Leafs grabbed a 3-1 lead. Tavares has been hit or miss since the All-Star break, recording five multi-point performances but getting held off the scoresheet entirely seven times. His overall production has been more than solid -- the 32-year-old has nine goals and 16 points in the last 15 games.
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Maple Leafs' John Tavares: Erupts for three points
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Tavares scored two goals and an assist on four shots, fueling the Maple Leafs to a 7-4 win over the Oilers on Saturday.
Tavares gave the Maple Leafs a 4-3 lead off a nice pass from Auston Matthews. He would add a second goal on the power play later in the second period. This performance gives Tavares points in back-to-back games with three goals in that span. On the season, Tavares has 30 goals and 65 points in 64 games.
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Maple Leafs' John Tavares: Skates before practice Friday
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Tavares (illness) skated before practice Friday, Mark Masters of TSN reports.
Tavares managed to absorb some big hits in Saturday's tilt in Vancouver and managed to stay in the game. He contracted the illness due to a flu bug going through the Maple Leafs dressing room, forcing him to miss Tuesday's game. The 32-year-old captain has 28 goals and 62 points in 63 games this season.
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Maple Leafs' John Tavares: Not playing Tuesday
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Tavares (illness) won't play Tuesday against New Jersey, David Alter of Sports Illustrated reports.
Tavares was an extra during Monday's practice and will sit out at least one game as a precaution. He was able to stay in Saturday's 4-1 loss to Vancouver after taking some hard hits in the contest. Coach Sheldon Keefe also mentioned a flu bug going around the room, per Mark Masters of TSN, which contributed to the decision to give Tavares a break. The Leafs captain should be back in the lineup Saturday versus the Oilers. Sam Lafferty skated between Calle Jarnkrok and William Nylander during Monday's session.
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Maple Leafs' John Tavares: Pots goal Sunday
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Tavares scored a goal on three shots and went plus-2 in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Kraken.
Tavares continues to be in prime scoring form -- he has six goals and four assists over his last eight games. The center knocked in a pass from William Nylander right at the post after Philipp Grubauer was caught out of position. Tavares has 27 goals, 61 points, 212 shots, 90 hits, 28 PIM and a plus-3 rating through 60 contests in a resurgent age-32 campaign.
Tavares contributed a goal and three assists in the Maple Leafs' 6-3 victory over Buffalo on Tuesday.
Tavares' marker came at 7:14 of the first period to give the Maple Leafs a 3-0 edge. Through 58 games this season, he has 26 goals and 60 points. Tavares has been particularly effective recently, providing six goals and 15 points over his last 11 outings.
