This wasn’t training camp. This wasn’t a Tuesday in January. This was Monday afternoon, hours before the Toronto Maple Leafs would fly out to Boston for Game 5. And there was John Tavares, the captain of the team, still on the ice fine-tuning his game.
He was the last player — by far — to leave the ice, staying out to work long past even the black aces.
He loves hockey,” a member of the Leafs staff said.
Tavares definitely loves hockey. And he’s trying to give the Leafs every last bit he has at a point in his career — at age 33, in his 15th NHL season — when decline has clearly set in. Nights like Game 5 are reminders that his hard work can still pay off.
Though it was Max Domi who slid into Auston Matthews’ slot, it was Tavares who played as the Leafs No. 1 centre on Tuesday night. It was Tavares who took Bruins defenceman Matt Grzelcyk wide in overtime, powering his way to the net for the attempt on Jeremy Swayman that Matthew Knies was able to bang home to keep the Leafs’ season alive.
It was Tavares who led all Leaf forwards
The Leafs won almost 80 percent of the expected goals when Tavares’ line — facing Pastrnak and the Bruins top pair of Hampus Lindholm and Brandon Carlo — was on the ice. Team officials were hoping he could play a Patrice Bergeron-like role for them in this series.
He gave them just that in Game 5. It was a vintage performance, the kind they’ll need again from him whether Matthews plays or not in Game 6 on Thursday night.
And it’s why Tavares continues to work harder than ever at his game
