The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without the services of their captain until November.
John Tavares, Toronto's leading goal scorer last season, suffered a broken finger in the Leafs' 4-3 loss to the Washington Capitals on Wednesday and will be out of the lineup for at least two weeks, the club announced Thursday.
The @MapleLeafs announced today that centre John Tavares sustained a broken finger late in last night’s game in Washington.
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) October 17, 2019
He will be out of the lineup for a minimum of two weeks, at which point he will be reassessed by the team's medical staff.
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Tavares scored in the third period of Wednesday's game, but he apparently sustained the injury moments beforehand. According to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston, the 29-year-old took a shot to the hand from teammate Morgan Rielly minutes prior to scoring at the 17:27 mark of the final frame.
John Tavares took a Morgan Rielly point shot off the right hand the shift before he scored late in last night's game at Washington. As it turns out, that goal was scored with a broken finger.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 17, 2019
The Maple Leafs are scheduled to play six games for the remainder of October, including a pair of contests against division rival Boston. Tavares has not missed more than five regular-season games in a single campaign since 2013-14, when he played 59 games for the New York Islanders before suffering a knee injury at the 2014 Winter Olympics that kept him out for the remainder of that season.
Through eight games of the curent campaign, Tavares is fourth in team scoring with seven points (three goals, four assists). He notched career highs in goals (47) and points (88) last season, his first with the Maple Leafs. The Mississauga, Ont., native was named team captain on Oct. 2.