TORONTO — John Tavares says the NHL’s concussion spotter pulled him from overtime on Saturday night with the Toronto Maple Leafs one shot away from eliminating the Ottawa Senators.
Tavares stayed down on the ice for a few seconds after taking an unpenalized hit to the head from Ottawa’s Artem Zub on his first shift of the extra period — triggering his mandatory removal from the game under NHL rules.
alright, standard set pic.twitter.com/xRKrSqtnHA
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 27, 2025
Tavares wound up missing more than 10 minutes of game time, including the entirety of a four-minute Maple Leafs power play, and was completely unaware of what was happening on the ice at Canadian Tire Centre while receiving a complete SCAT5 evaluation in a back room.
“I had no idea that there was a power play,” Tavares said Monday. “I was obviously pulled out and I had to go through the protocol.”
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The NHL’s “Concussion Evaluation and Management Protocol” calls for the mandatory removal of a player who takes a direct blow to the head and exhibits any of four visible signs that could indicate a possible concussion: lying motionless on the ice; motor incoordination or balance problems; blank or vacant look; and/or being slow to get up.
It is the team’s responsibility to remove a player from the game at the concussion spotter’s discretion and administer an acute evaluation in a distraction-free environment — typically called the “quiet room.”
That test usually takes about 15 minutes.
Tavares was only on the ice for a few seconds in overtime before getting levelled by Zub in front of the Senators net. He was skating into the slot area and looking for a potential pass when the defenceman caught him in an unsuspecting position with his right forearm.
“I don’t think I really need to explain it,” Tavares said Monday. “It’s pretty obvious what happened on the play. The puck’s nowhere near me. But just move on from it and go out there and keep competing and trust that the refs are going to make the right calls.”
The Leafs were reluctant to comment on the hit immediately following a 4-3 loss on Saturday night, but opened up about their displeasure while preparing for another chance to eliminate the Senators in Game 5.
“I don’t like the hit,” said Leafs coach Craig Berube. “Puck’s nowhere near him. Looked like a head shot to me.”
“That’s a tough one,” Mitch Marner said. “You’re interested to see why nothing gets called on that, but that’s sometimes how the play goes. Johnny’s fine and ready to go, so that’s all that matters.”
Tavares is tied for the series lead with three goals and has five points through four games.
He took part in a skills session with player development coach Patrick O’Sullivan on Monday morning and was a full participant in the practice that followed.
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“I feel good,” Tavares said. “A little bit of soreness just in my jaw and cheek area, but I felt good. Felt good on the ice today.”
Given what was at stake when he was removed from Saturday’s game, it must not have felt too good to be taken off the bench by the concussion spotter following a 17-second shift to begin overtime.
Tavares has scored three playoff overtime goals during his career — including the series-clincher for the Leafs when they beat the Tampa Bay Lighting in 2023, and a series-clincher for the New York Islanders against the Florida Panthers in 2016.
Teammate Chris Tanev said of Tavares: “I’m sure he wasn’t very thrilled.”
Tanev then added an important caveat: “If you don’t think you’re feeling well you’re obviously thankful for probably them to pull you off. Definitely a lot of guys probably just keep playing. If you feel fine, you’re probably not going to be thrilled to be sitting in the room for a while.”
Berube acknowledged how tough the timing was, but said he supports the efforts of the league to make sure the playing environment is as safe as possible.
“It’s important,” he said. “You’ve got to make sure guys are OK. It’s in all sports, right? It’s important to do that.
“Nothing you can do about it.”
(Photo of John Tavares celebrating his Game 4 goal: Steve Russell / Toronto Star via Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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