TORONTO – Just as captain John Tavares put an exclamation point in his preseason to erase any doubt about his full recovery from his terrifying playoff injury, another question came up with the Maple Leafs on Saturday.
Ilya Mikheyev, Tavares ‘second row left winger, suffered a hand injury late in the first period of the Maple Leafs’ 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators.
Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe called Mikheyev’s injury “not short-term.” Keefe said more would be known about the severity of the setback on Monday.
Mikheyev fell awkwardly to both hands when he was knocked to the ice by Senators defender Dillon Heatherington. The winger did not return for the last 40 minutes.
“He’s had a great camp,” Keefe said of Mikheyev. “He is a good player for us. It does a lot of good things for us. But we have a lot of depth. We have a lot of guys who had good camps here and down with the Marlies.
“Someone is going to get a shot at this.”
Tavares, who scored a goal and an assist in the Maple Leafs’ win to end the preseason, was pulling his linemate.
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“I hope it is nothing important,” Tavares said. “I know how determined you are to grow your game and want to make a difference in all areas of the game. He has had a tremendous camp and has come with a great attitude.
“Every year, it comes in tremendous shape. It’s a machine that way. You can see the speed it has and the impact it can have. “
The three remaining left wings of the Maple Leafs had strong games with the extra work after Mikheyev’s departure. Nick Ritchie scored to put the Maple Leafs ahead 2-1 early in the second period, and Pierre Engvall converted a pass from Tavares for the 3-1 goal, six seconds after an Ottawa penalty expired.
Michael Bunting also had a strong game with his enthusiastic play.
Tavares, meanwhile, has a history of successful comebacks. He was eliminated from the Olympics and subsequently for the remainder of the 2013-14 season when he suffered a medial collateral ligament tear and a torn meniscus in his knee in the quarterfinals against Latvia. He returned the following year to finish second in the scoring race and second in the Hart Trophy voting.
But players never know how they will recover from a concussion, especially a terrifying incident like the one Tavares suffered last spring when his face struck the knee of Montreal Canadiens forward Corey Perry as he fell after a body check of the defender. Ben Chiarot.
“Things have been going very well,” Tavares said. “I just want to keep building from that.
“In general, things continue to develop. Now is the time to get back to the long grind, 82 games and excited about another opportunity. “
Keefe praised Tavares for his leadership in training camp. However, the Maple Leafs coach also admitted that his captain’s health was a concern when he started camp two weeks ago. That’s why Tavares was inserted into the lineup in the first game.
“It hasn’t been on my mind since then,” Keefe said.
The Maple Leafs have until 5 p.m. ET Monday to submit their opening day roster. Alex Biega and Kurtis Gabriel received waivers on Saturday.
Whether or not Auston Matthews will be in the lineup for the Maple Leafs’ first game at home against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday has yet to be determined.
Keefe said he will “have a better idea of where (Matthews) is.”
The Maple Leafs (5-1-0) won four in a row to end their preseason roster. After playing Montreal on Wednesday, the Maple Leafs travel to Ottawa to play the Senators (3-4-0) in their first game of the season.
“We’re ready to rock,” said Toronto defender Morgan Rielly, who opened the scoring Saturday before 11,252 at Scotiabank Arena with a power play goal.
Alex Formenton tied the game in the last minute of the first half.
This Canadian Press report was first published on October 9, 2021.
© 2021 The Canadian Press
Reference-globalnews.ca