Recharge in the sunshine state
Florida game well-timed after matchups against McDavid and Scheifele
Tavares hopes his game will heat up with the Florida sun,
The Maple Leafs had a day in Florida on Friday, and one more Saturday, before playing the Panthers on Sunday, and John Tavares was happy for the change of scenery.
“It’ll feel good on the body,” Tavares said before the team left. “It’s been a little while since we’ve had some warm air. It comes at a good time. We’ve got a few days to recharge and it’s going to be good for everybody.”
Maybe better for Tavares. He had a couple of tough games this week as the Leafs lost to Edmonton and dropped a shootout decision to Winnipeg.
Tavares always draws the toughest matchups, but the Oilers’ Connor McDavid and the Jets’ Mark Scheifele got the better of him. Tavares was minus-3 on McDavid’s four-point night, on the ice for12 shots or attempted shots for and 25 against while at even strength. Put another way, the Leafs were in possession of the puck 32.43 per cent of the time Tavares was on the ice. He’s normally on the positive side of the possession ledger, averaging about 54 per cent this season.
McDavid was nearly perfectly reversed, 26-11, according to Natural-Stat-Trick, and 70.27 per cent in possession.
Tavares’s possession numbers were much better against Winnipeg (48.89 per cent), but a couple of giveaways led directly to Jets goals: one with the Leafs on the power play that led to a Jets breakaway, the other with the Leafs in the Jets end that led to a four-on-one with Scheifele finishing it off.
All in all, not a great week for the captain.
“Obviously a couple of mistakes here and there, but I think I was still able to generate some good opportunities and if you’re able to capitalize on some, that can change the way you feel,” Tavares said. “But you’re always trying to find another level, and trying to be better.
“So just regroup. New day today. New day again tomorrow. Keep working on my game and find a way to elevate and be counted on when I’m out there and be productive.”
This is not to raise alarm bells about Tavares. He remains an elite player.
“One thing I know about John is he takes his responsibility, his role on our team, very seriously,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “He takes a lot on his shoulders, and he expects himself to be able to produce. He is producing, and putting himself into spot to get a lot of scoring chances. I know you want to finish a little bit more, especially recently. But all what we really need from him is just to continue to play hard, like he has.”
Tavares has been streakier this year than he was last year. The longest he went without a point last season was two games.
He has currently gone three games without a point, four without a goal. He’s gone pointless one other time for three games, and once for four games. His longest stretch without a goal has been five games. He’s gone goalless another four games in a row three times in total, including his current drought.
“With the skill level that he has, he’s going to make plays. He’s going to score,” Keefe said. “All that stuff’s gonna come, gonna happen for him. We just need him to not take on too much, to recognize he’s got a lot of support around him and he can just relax and play.”
While Keefe was mildly critical about Tavares following the Jets game, he walked back that criticism after rewatching the game. It’s easy to remember a giveaway that led to a goal. That’s just bad luck really.
But rewatching, Keefe saw the other things Tavares did.
“By no means was I calling out John at all,” the coach said. “I think it’s just acknowledging the fact that he had some tough moments in the game. But I (went) back and I watched the game. There were a lot of really good things also, particularly with just how competitive he is on loose pucks and how hard he’s working.
“And I can tell it’s a little bit of pushing, maybe to try to take on a little too much when things aren’t going well. That’s the tendency for those that expect themselves to be able to really impact the game. So I’ve got full confidence things are going to turn for him as long as he keeps working and goes about it intelligently, which I know he will.”