'Nice To Get It At A Crucial Point In The Game' Maple Leafs' John Tavares Snaps Out Of Career-Long Nine-Game Pointless Skid in Win Against Jets
Tavares' goal also helped get Toronto's struggling power play back on track.
'Nice To Get It At A Crucial Point In The Game' Maple Leafs' John Tavares Snaps Out Of Career-Long Nine-Game Pointless Skid in Win Against JetsWINNIPEG — John Tavares is known for being stoic in the face of big moments. But the Toronto Maple Leafs captain couldn't help but look up to the sky when his deflection off Morgan Rielly's point shot went behind Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and into the back of the net.
"It was nice to get it at a crucial point in the game to give us the lead," Tavares said following his team's 4-2 victory against the Jets at Canada Life Centre on Saturday." "Certainly with the way things were going for us on the power play, obviously a good feeling."
Tavares recorded his first goal after going the previous nine games without a single point it what was the longest offensive drought in the Maple Leafs captain's career.
But you wouldn't know if it ever bothered him if you asked him. When faced with questions about it over the last couple of weeks, Tavares never showed any visible signs of frustration. When asked how he stays in that moment?
"Confidence is a choice," he said.
And while not visibly frustrated about it, he demonstrated his awareness of the slump by acknowledging it.
"I'm human, too," he said.
Tavares' goal gave the Leafs their first lead of the game against the Jets at the 1:54 mark of the third period. It was also the team's second power-play goal in their last 21 chances.
During Friday's practice, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe hinted that he thought about breaking up the team's top power-play unit of Tavares, Rielly, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander if the drought were to continue. But that doesn't seem to be in the cards after a night in which they went 2-for-3, including a 5-on-3 goal for Matthews, his 40th goal of the season and 600th point of his NHL career.
"John’s been working real hard in games, been working diligently off the ice but also keeping things in perspective and not getting frustrated," Keefe said of Tavares. "The power play needed a big response here today and we got that.
"John came through the way we expected he might being in front and getting a stick on the puck. It’s a huge goal for us and a huge moment in the game."
Matthews was equally impressed with how the captain handled the slump.
"Sometimes you go through tough segments and tough slides, he comes to the rink every day and has been the same person that he always is," Matthews said of Tavares. "It’s great to see him get one."
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