Tavares to Return on Tuesday

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced forward @John Tavares will be back in the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings. Tavares missed the last seven games with a broken finger.

Unsurprisingly, the Maple Leafs struggled without their captain, going 3-2-2 while averaging 3.00 goals per game. The team owns a 4-3-1 record with Tavares this season while averaging 3.88 goals for. The Leafs will hope Tavares’ return will also awaken their dormant power-play. The team went 2 for 22 (9.1%) on the man advantage with Tavares sidelined, the fourth-worst rate in the NHL over that span.

Lineup Implications

Tavares will re-assume his usual role for the Maple Leafs, centering line 1B with @Mitch Marner on his wing. @Trevor Moore will be the third wheel on that line, at least until @Zach Hyman (knee) returns from injury. @Alexander Kerfoot will drop back down to centre @Ilya Mikheyev and @Kasperi Kapanen on line three. @Jason Spezza will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday.

Tavares’ return also alters the team’s power-play structure. He will reclaim a spot on the top power-play unit, forcing @William Nylander to drop down to the second unit. The first unit will now consist of Tavares, Marner, @Auston Matthews, @Andreas Johnsson, and @Morgan Rielly. Puck drop for Tuesday’s game is set for 7:30 PM EST.