Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 Stars for the Month of December

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 19: From left, Jake Muzzin #8, Kasperi Kapanen #24, Auston Matthews #34, Nikita Zaitsev #22 and Zach Hyman #11 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skate down ice after Auston Matthews scored a goal during the third period of Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on April 19, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Maple Leafs defeat the Bruins 2-1. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

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TORONTO, ON – DECEMBER 4: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against the Colorado Avalanche during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on December 4, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Avalanche defeated the Maple Leafs 3-1. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

3rd star – John Tavares

Be it with Ilya Mikheyev or Mitch Marner as his primary winger, Tavares played some excellent, productive, hockey in December .

Since being paired with Nylander and Kerfott towards the end of the month, he’s been even better.

He tallied six goals and 15 points in 13 games despite factoring in on only 57% of Toronto’s goals he was on for.

For added perspective, his IPP (individual points percentage) generally hovers between 65% and 75% on a yearly basis.

Tavares also led all players with 68 scoring chances. Not Leafs players, *all* players. His expected goals total was ~7.5, suggesting he deserved another goal or two – especially given his finishing ability.

Put simply, Tavares produced at a high clip even though he had rotating linemates and the percentages worked against him.

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