Maple Leafs John Tavares Misses Mandatory Practice Ahead of Game Vs. the Penguins
It was an unfortunate scene at the Maple Leafs morning skate on Saturday, as John Tavares wasn't on the ice and his status for the Penguins game is unknown.
With the Toronto Maple Leafs already dealing with a litany of injuries in the preseason, it started to feel like the team was finally getting back in the groove and we were seeing what GM Brad Treliving envisioned with his new game plan this summer. Unfortunately for the Maple Leafs, the injury bug bit again and it targeted one of their top weapons.
According to David Alter of The Hockey News on his X account, Maple Leafs forward John Tavares was not seen skating with the team during the morning skate and is currently dealing with an illness:
It's unknown if Tavares was just taking time off to recover before the Pittsburgh Penguins game Saturday night, however at this time his status is unknown and the Maple Leafs are preparing for his absence, given the lines head coach Craig Berube had in practice:
It would be a big blow to the Maple Leafs if Tavares were to miss the game, but seeing as it is just a supposed illness, it won't keep him out too long if he is out. Toronto will need to rely on their other goal-scorers and new additions to help the team secure the victory against Sidney Crosby and company.
Tavares has already missed some time earlier this fall during the preseason when he received a hit from Montreal Canadiens' forward Michael Pezzetta. He scored and played the rest of the game, however, missed the next several practices and it was unknown how serious the injury could be at the time. Luckily for Toronto, its fans, and Tavares, it seems like it was nothing too bad and Tavares was back on the ice doing the same thing he always does:
We here at Hockey Patrol will keep you posted as we learn more information regarding John Tavares' status for the Maple Leafs/Penguins game.
The Maple Leafs/Penguins game starts at 7 pm ET.
