Maple Leafs’ John Tavares Scores 400th NHL Goal Against Penguins

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The goal was Tavares’ team-leading ninth goal of the season as strong start for the captain continues.

PITTSBURGH — John Tavares has become the 107th NHLer in history to score 400 NHL goals.

The Toronto Maple Leafs captain scored the game-opening goal during the team’s game on the road against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

The goal was Tavares’ team-leading ninth of the season, continuing the hot start the forward has been on.

Tavares also assisted on Mitch Marner’s goal later in the first period, helping Toronto go into the first intermission with a 2-0 lead.

“It’s nice to just get it and move past it, to be honest,” Tavares told TSN’s Mark Masters during a first intermission interview. “

The 32-year-old started the game on a line with Marner, carrying over from a line shuffle that began during the team’s 3-2 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.

Both of the scoring plays occurred at even-strength, which hasn’t been a strong suit of the Maple Leafs this season.

Tavares scored his 128th goal as a Leaf. He joined the Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2019 after spending his first nine seasons in the NHL where he picked up the remaining 272 NHL goals.

Tavares has nine goals and nine assists through 16 games and one period this season.

More to come…