Tavares was struck in the back of the knee by a 97mph shot from defenseman Rasmus Sandin - a shot that Tavares said Sandin apologized for, though the captain acknowledged that there was nothing to apologize for and that the young blueliner was just doing his job.
On Wednesday, Tavares revealed the nature of the injury, how serious it felt versus how bad it actually was and given what he had to say, he's likely a go for the Leafs on Thursday against the Sharks.
Tavares stated that (thankfully) it "wasn't as bad as it looked" and that the team doctor had commented that the area that the puck hit had no muscle, just nerves, so when he was hit, it just sort of shut down his leg and didn't allow him to put any weight on it. Normally when a player is hit with the puck, it hurts, but they can still move the leg.
Tavares has 8 points in 7 games to start the season for the Buds and hopes to build off of what has been a tremendous start for the 32-year-old pivot. His line with William Nylander and Nick Robertson has been arguably the Leafs' most consistently solid line since Robertson's call-up.
POLL | ||
27 OCTOBRE | 133 ANSWERS Leafs captain reveals the details of his injury and how he feels ahead of matchup with the Sharks How many points will Tavares record during the 3-game California trip? | ||
1-3 | 67 | 50.4 % |
4-6 | 56 | 42.1 % |
7+ | 10 | 7.5 % |
List of polls |