Toronto Maple Leafs: John Tavares Nears Closer to Milestone
ohn Tavares will have a chance to set a new career high in points over a single season in the NHL tonight as the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Ottawa Senators.
Chosen 1st overall in 2009 by the New York Islanders, John Tavares has been nothing short of a superstar during his 10 seasons in the NHL. In that time, Tavares has never scored fewer than 24 goals in a single season. Highly touted in junior as a pure sniper, Tavares only managed to reach the 30 goal plateau 4 times. In his first season with the Toronto Maple Leafs after signing as a free agent in the summer, Tavares has hit the 40 goal mark for the first time in his NHL career.
In the 2014-15 season, Tavares tallied a career-high 86 points in 82 games. That season would be Tavares’ highest goal output of his career, as he finished with 38.
Tonight, Tavares will have a chance to reach 87 points, and do it in just his first season with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Moving Past The Distractions
After signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs this past summer, most Leafs fans expected a slow and gradual transition for Tavares to the new club. Despite the distraction of his departure from the Islanders organization, the media stories surrounding free agency, and the pressure of coming home and playing for his hometown team, Tavares wasted no time to show the world he was ready to be a Maple Leaf.
Donning the new Maple Leaf crest, Tavares scored his first goal against the Montreal Canadiens in the season opener. The transition for Tavares seemed to click almost instantly, being paired with Zach Hyman and Mitchell Marner, and in his first 5 games as a Maple Leaf, Tavares scored 6 goals and 4 assists for 10 points, including a hat trick against the Chicago Blackhawks in just his 3rd game.
His is the only forward line the Maple Leafs have kept together since the opening night roster, and there has been no reason to date to warrant a change.
Taking Charge
With Tavares’ 4 goal game performance against the Florida Panthers this past week, he now has 10 career NHL hat tricks and is only behind only Sidney Crosby (11), Evgeni Malkin (12), Ilya Kovalchuk (13), Eric Staal (14), and Alex Ovechkin (23) on the all-time active hat trick leaders list.
Not only has Tavares seamlessly fit into the Toronto Maple Leafs’ roster like he has been there the entire time, but his play has also been nothing short of spectacular. In 77 games, Tavares is 4th in the NHL in G/60 with 1.837 behind Viktor Arvidsson (1.851), Auston Matthews (1.856), and David Pastrnak (1.881).
Dominance Regardless Of Situation
In 77 games played, Tavares has tallied a career high 45 goals, and he will have 5 more regular season games to try and push for the elusive number 50. With 5 games left in the NHL Regular Season, John Tavares sits 3rd in the NHL in goals scored with 45, but what stands out is his play at even strength. Tavares leads the NHL in even strength goals with 36, mainly due to the Toronto Maple Leafs currently sitting dead last in both powerplay opportunities (200) and penalties taken (194).
Finishing The Season Strong
With playoff hockey nearing, the Maple Leafs will need to continue to rely on their successful play at even strength to push them far into the playoffs. For John Tavares, it’s about continuing what he has done all season long for the Maple Leafs.
Tonight the focus will be the Ottawa Senators on Hockey Night In Canada, and hopefully, a new career milestone puck added to John Tavares’ collection.
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