After a dominant regular season, the 2021 playoff campaign began in jarring fashion for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Captain John Tavares took a freak blow to the head and was stretchered off the ice midway through the first period.
The Canadiens capitalized on the momentum shift, with a breakaway goal from Josh Anderson coming just two minutes after the injury stoppage. William Nylander evened the score in the second, but Carey Price locked it down after that, finishing the night with a .972 SV% in the 2-1 victory.
Toronto’s special team woes continued as they went 0-4 on the powerplay, giving up a short handed goal to Paul Byron halfway through the third.
A post-game update confirmed that Tavares was conscious and communicating in the hospital but there’s still no timetable for return.
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