The Toronto Maple Leafs kicked off their first game without John Tavares on Thursday night, securing a hard-fought 4–3 overtime win against the New Jersey Devils.
Tavares was placed on injured reserve earlier that day due to a lower-body injury and is expected to be out for at least four games, with a possible return no sooner than January 28, according to NHL regulations. Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube spoke about the challenge of proceeding without their veteran captain before the game against the Devils. “We’re going to miss everything,” he noted. “His scoring, leadership, and ability to play in all situations.
It’s unfortunate—just bad luck in practice. But we have to move forward.” The injury occurred during a power-play drill on Wednesday when Tavares awkwardly fell after becoming entangled with Chris Tanev. The 34-year-old was having a strong season, tallying 20 goals and 22 assists in 44 games, which placed him second in those categories among his teammates and third overall with 42 points. Tavares’ absence will require the team to adapt quickly, a challenge Berube believes they can meet, as demonstrated in their victory on Thursday.
We’ve done it before,” he remarked, alluding to the Leafs’ ability to succeed when team captain Auston Matthews was unavailable. “Guys just need to step up.”
Max Domi stepped into Tavares’ position as the second-line center in the top six, a change that Berube believes is a good match. “Domi has previously worked well with Nylander,” Berube commented. “We’ll need his playmaking and offensive skills in that role.
The victory against the Devils allowed the Maple Leafs to break a three-game losing streak, keeping them at the top of the Atlantic Division with a record of 28-16-2 and 58 points, which puts them three points ahead of the Florida Panthers in second place.
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