Auston Matthews continues to deal with a lingering upper-body injury. Would it be best for the team and player to rest in February during the 4 Nations Face-Off? John Tavares continues to prove why he’s one of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ most consistent performers. During Friday night’s 5-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings/], Tavares recorded his 10th multi-point game of the season, delivering two assists, including a dazzling no-look, between-the-legs pass that left teammates in awe. The highlight-reel play came in the first period when Tavares retrieved the rebound from Mitch Marner’s initial shot. As he was being knocked to the ice, Tavares shuffled the puck between his legs to Marner, who buried it for his first of three goals on the night. “It’s a great play. Chemistry, they’ve played a lot together this year. JT knows where people are and he’s got eyes in the back of his head, making plays,” said head coach Craig Berube post-game. “It was a big play for us at that time,” he added. Marner, who became the first visiting player with two career hat tricks at Little Caesars Arena, was quick to credit Tavares for the assist, labeling the play as a “gift.” “I think he saw me before he kind of went down on the ice there and he just tried to make the play through and got towards me,” Marner explained. “I just tried to stay in the same spot, obviously it was a pretty good gift.” It was a brilliant play by the 34-year-old, who only seems to be getting better with age – making some magic happen. As Berube attested to, the chemistry between Marner and Tavares, two of the Leafs’ top three point producers, certainly played a notable factor. “I felt really good that he was there,” said Tavares. “Just the way in which nature was developing, how it played out, and when I got it. I just wanted to make it really quick before they got reset into their structure, especially when we created a good opportunity from our own zone. Really good execution on the breakout and the entry, recovering the puck and having a good sense of where we are.” “Mitchy was fantastic tonight and seemed to get rewarded with the third one (goal) as well. Hell of a tip and a great game by him,” Tavares added. It marked the first of two helpers for Tavares in 17:02 of total ice time, a testament to his already remarkable season as he continues to shine with 17 goals and 19 assists for 36 points in 35 games. He has stepped up in the absence of Auston Matthews, who missed his third straight game (and 12th overall) due to an upper-body injury on Friday. The 16-year veteran, Tavares, now has 11 points (5G, 6A) in his last six games. His strong play against Detroit continued, with 54 points (29G, 34A) in 39 career games against the Red Wings. THE LEAFS REGAIN MOMENTUM The Leafs’ win snapped a two-game losing streak and halted a five-game stretch of allowing three or more goals. Toronto also improved to 14-1-1 this season when scoring first. The club will have to turn the page quickly, however, as they face the second half of a back-to-back on Saturday. Tied with the Carolina Hurricanes [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/] for the most back-to-back sets this season (16), Toronto returns to Scotiabank Arena to host the Washington Capitals [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/]. Fresh off their first win since the holiday break, the Leafs will look to avenge a 3-1 home loss to the Capitals on December 6. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNjM5NDEwNTc4NDM0MDI0/googlenews.svg] Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, break news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwytvfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
