John Tavares discusses early exit in Maple Leafs’ pre-season game (Picture credit: Imagn)

John Tavares talked about his early exit during the Toronto Maple Leafs’ pre-season game against the Montreal Canadiens. The incident, which caused concerns among fans, occurred in the first period when Tavares took a hit from Canadiens forward Michael Pezzetta.

Tavares was slow getting to the bench but stayed in the game. He was limited to just two shifts in the third period.

“My leg was getting pretty stiff from the hit I took there in the first,” he said. “It wasn’t so bad afterwards, but kind of throughout the second and especially in the third, it just got really, really stiff, and I didn’t have much.”

Tavares told head coach Craig Berube about his leg. He planned to keep his shifts short. However, Berube decided to give him the rest of the night off as a precaution.

“I told Craig I was just going to keep him short, but I think he just determined to give me the rest of the night off,” Tavares added.

Tavares on being limited to just two shifts in the third period.
"My leg was getting pretty stiff from the hit I took there in the first. It wasn't so bad afterwards but kind of throughout the second and especially in the third it just got really, really stiff and I didn't have… https://t.co/XDD2j5quWT

— David Alter (@dalter) September 27, 2024

This decision came as William Nylander also left early due to a collision with defenseman Christian Dvorak. Nylander fell and seemed to hit Dvorak’s leg. Left winger Nick Robertson tried to help Nylander but accidentally contributed to the fall. Robertson later said that Nylander was doing well after the incident.

“Obviously, elephant in the room, the Willy situation — it’s unfortunate,” Robertson said (via sportsnet.com). “It’s kind of a fluke thing. I was trying to give him a little boost on the back-check, and I didn’t know [Joe] Armia was coming inside, so it was just a tough play. I talked to him and he’s doing good. We’ll see how he is in the next few days.”

After the game, Berube reassured fans that Nylander was fine.

Craig Berube highlights John Tavares’ faceoff s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s as Maple Leafs prepare for pre-season challenges

Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube praised John Tavares’ s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s, especially in faceoffs. He noted that it was still early in the pre-season and that Tavares’ role, particularly on the penalty 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁, will be assessed as the team moves forward.

“He is a good faceoff guy, for sure. I used him a little bit there in the first game. We will see what happens. It is early yet,” Berube said (via mapleleafshotstove.com).

The Maple Leafs won the game 2-1, but the injury concerns for Tavares and Nylander remain important as the pre-season continues.