Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares was on the ice at the team’s practice facility Thursday morning, one week after he suffered a knee injury and concussion following a series of collisions in Game 1 against the Montreal Canadiens.
Tavares was wearing a grey no-contact jersey. Nick Foligno, who has missed the past two games with a lower-body injury, was also on the ice.
The Maple Leafs captain was initially given a two-week recovery timeline for his knee injury but his concussion issues were a bigger unknown. Tavares made an appearance at the team’s facility during an off-day on Wednesday and head coach Sheldon Keefe said he’s been staying in constant contact with his teammates, who will try to eliminate the Canadiens Thursday night.
“The players care for him greatly,” said Keefe Wednesday. “For him to communicate and reach out and stay on that, reassure the guys that he’s doing well, because he has been doing very well and it’s a very good thing for our team. He’s the captain of our group. For him to still be showing those leadership qualities that he has at this time of year is really important and then having him in our post-game gatherings after a win is a nice touch as well.”
The Maple Leafs and Canadiens continue their first round series with Game 5 Thursday night on Sportsnet, CBC and SN Now. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT.
