Maple Leafs forward John Tavares was injured in Toronto’s playoff opener against Montreal, leaving the ice on a stretcher in a scary scene Thursday night. Tavares, who spent his first nine seasons with the Islanders before signing with his hometown Leafs as a free agent in 2018, was leveled by an open-ice hit from Canadiens defenseman Ben Chiarot. On his way to the ground, Tavares absorbed a blow from Montreal winger Corey Perry, who kneed the Toronto captain in the head. Tavares was transported to a local hospital, where he was said to be both conscious and alert.
In retaliation for taking out Tavares, the Leafs’ third-leading scorer during the regular season (19 goals, 31 assists in 56 games), Nick Foligno dropped gloves with Perry at the next faceoff with both players receiving five-minute majors for fighting.
Despite his reputation as an instigator and one of the league’s more physical players, Perry’s collision with Tavares didn’t appear intentional, though obviously Toronto had a different interpretation of the play. Perry told reporters after the game he felt “sick to his stomach” seeing Tavares, his teammate on the Canadian men’s national team that took gold at the Sochi Olympics in 2014, leave on a stretcher.
When asked why he chose to fight Perry, Foligno concisely responded, “Our captain was laying on the ice.” The Maple Leafs, who finished atop the NHL’s North Division during the regular season, would ultimately fall in Thursday’s Game 1 at Scotiabank Arena, losing by a final count of 2-1. They’ll look to even the series Saturday at 7 PM ET.
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