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TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

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TORONTO — John Tavares is among the NHL’s most productive producers on the power play this season, success the Maple Leafs’ captain is still striving to mirror when at even strength.

His one 5-on-5 goal through 13 games is tied for the lowest output amongst Toronto’s regular top-six forwards, but Tavares isn’t overly stressed about his lack of early returns.

“I would like to have more [even-strength goals], no doubt. But I don't try to beat myself up about it,” he told reporters on a Zoom call Wednesday, before Toronto faces the Montreal Canadiens.

“I think there's been a lot of good aspects of my game, not just offensively, but in a lot of areas. The way I feel out there, the way I'm moving, I'm really happy about [that]. Just stick to the process that way and not overthink [how] maybe [5-on-5] has gone, but continue to find ways to contribute offensively and without the puck.”

Tavares has been exceptional on special teams thus far, tied for second in the NHL with four power-play goals and six points on that unit overall. By comparison, it took the centre 46 games a season ago to tally four man-advantage goals, and he ended the year with just seven.

Now Tavares wants to channel that same touch around the net to even-strength play, although it’s been harder there to find the same rhythm. Given the Leafs’ early injuries to Joe Thornton and more recently Wayne Simmonds, Tavares has had a rotating crop of wingers on his line with William Nylander – everyone from Zach Hyman to Jimmy Vesey to Ilya Mikheyev to Simmonds.

It’ll be Mikheyev back on the right side when the Leafs take the ice Wednesday night against Montreal, and Tavares said the search for chemistry within their line will continue.

“You have to make adjustments, with different players, different people,” he acknowledged. “It just creates a different feel for your line and what everyone brings to it. [That] does present different challenges or variables, but that's all the nature of playing in the league and [there are] injuries and changes game to game throughout the lineup and whatever the coaching staff feels is necessary to get the most out of the group. So, it's on us to go out there and do our job and obviously find ways to be productive.”

From head coach Sheldon Keefe’s perspective, Tavares is already doing that, regardless of what’s shown up on the scoresheet. Keefe has been vocal since before training camp about the Leafs becoming a more responsible team defensively, and allowing their offence to grow from that effort.

In many ways the club has delivered, averaging the sixth-fewest shots against per game in the NHL (27.3) and the sixth-fewest goals against (2.62), while holding a plus-14 goal-differential.

It’s all contributed to Toronto’s strong 10-2-1 start, and Keefe believes Tavares has been a main factor in cultivating that enhanced defence-first focus. 

“I like a lot of things that John is doing,” Keefe said. “We’ve challenged our entire team to be better when we don't have the puck, and John's diligence in that area has been very strong. It has helped set our team up for success in terms of him leading the way. When we look at his forecheck or his play in our own end, he's really been doing the things that we've been asking our team to do. He is leading the way there and I have no doubts that over time, the 5-on-5 production will be there.”

And as long as the wins keep piling up, there’s plenty of incentive for Tavares and company to keep doing what they’re doing. Heading into Wednesday’s game, Toronto owns the fourth-best winning percentage in the NHL at .808 and sit just ahead of Montreal atop the North Division.

While the red-hot recent play of Auston Matthews (10 goals in eight games) and Mitch Marner (15 points in eight games) has been drawing all the headlines, it’s the strides Toronto’s made defensively that impress Tavares most.

“We can see how important that [defensive mentality] is, so I think it's been very easy to buy into,” he said. “Some of it is just the mindset we brought into the season and [we're] seeing the results with that consistent message and mindset. When you get results the confidence builds, especially with the type of team we have. I don't think we're trying to overthink it. We're just trying to continuously get better every day and understand the identity and formula we want to have success.”

Montreal is no slouch on defence either, with a big-bodied blueline that is tough to generate scoring chances against. Toronto certainly struggled at that in their season-opening meeting with the Canadiens, falling behind 3-1 in the second period before storming back for a 4-3 overtime win.

Keefe is prepared for similarly hard-fought battle when the teams convene a second time, but he hopes the intervening weeks have toughened the Leafs up for what’s coming.

“[Their defence] creates additional challenges to get to the net,” Keefe said. “It’s not just their defence but the forwards do a good job of helping with that as well. So, that's a challenge. But we found a way through that when we played them in the first game; we found enough ways to get there. And there's other teams within the division that have big, strong defences as well, so you're getting used that and [we’re] adapting our offence as needed.”

Maple Leafs projected lineup vs. Montreal

Hyman-Matthews-Marner

Nylander-Tavares-Mikheyev

Vesey-Kerfoot-Engvall

Petan-Boyd-Spezza

 

Rielly-Brodie

Muzzin-Holl

Dermott-Bogosian

 

Andersen starts

Hutchinson