Tavares eager to get playoffs underway
The Toronto Maple Leafs are well aware of the pressure they are facing heading into the playoffs this year. Despite several great regular seasons in recent history, they have failed with this core group to get through the first round of the playoffs. In fact, they have not advanced to the second round since 2004.
Despite the high pressure they face, there is reason to believe this year may be different for them. One of the reasons for optimism is that they will have John Tavares in the lineup, after he was forced to miss the majority of last year's playoffs due to a concussion which came from an accidental Corey Perry knee to the head. Speaking with reporters on Sunday, the Leafs captain made it clear how excited he is to get things going.
"Unfortunately I went through something like that, but it is what it is and (I) just accepted it. (You) move forward and try to get better for it. (It) just gives you appreciation for playing the game and doing what we can do."
Though it was overshadowed due to some massive seasons from a few of his teammates, the 31-year-old Tavares had himself another very good year with 27 goals and 76 points in 79 games. Assuming he stays healthy, he should be able to provide a very big impact for his team in the upcoming playoffs. With that being said, things won't be easy for this Leafs squad in the opening round, as they are set to take on the reigning back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions in the Tampa Bay Lightning.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Mikko Rantanen | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Jake Debrusk | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Dylan Guenther | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Jack Eichel | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Brock Nelson | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Valeri Nichushkin | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Clayton Keller | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Jonathan Drouin | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Roman Josi | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Kirill Marchenko | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Kyle Palmieri | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Sebastian Aho | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Rasmus Dahlin | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Leon Draisaitl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matt Duchene | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Samuel Girard | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Claude Giroux | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Oliver Kylington | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 21 | 17 | 4 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 20 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 30 | |
Devils | 23 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 30 | |
Hurricanes | 20 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 29 | |
Golden Knights | 21 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 20 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 27 | |
Flames | 21 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 27 | |
Stars | 19 | 13 | 6 | - | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||