Tavares scores 500th, but Maple Leafs back to .500

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Published Oct 29, 2025  •  Last updated 33 minutes ago  •  2 minute read

Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares (91) scores on Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins in the third period of an NHL game in Columbus on Oct. 29, 2025. It was his 500th career goal. Photo by Sue Ogrocki /The Associated Press

John Tavares didn’t feel like celebrating his 500th NHL goal – and for good reason.

Tavares became the 49th National Hockey Leaguer to the milestone, but it was a muted reaction from him and the Maple Leafs as it came late in a 6-3 loss at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. It’s back to the drawing board for Tavares and company after that awful back-to-back conclusion.

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Looking ragged defensively from goaltender Cayden Primeau across the board, Toronto was whipped by the Blue Jackets. Each club played the night before, the Leafs able to beat the NHL’s last-place Calgary Flames at home, the Jackets keeping it rolling after an overtime triumph in Buffalo.

But missing winger William Nylander among others and turning to Primeau with Anthony Stolarz resting, the visitors were down four goals after two periods and just 13 Columbus shots. They didn’t just turn pucks over, they allowed odd-man or rushes or lateral passes, a problem area through their first 11 games (5-5-1).

Three Columbus defencemen scored, Zach Werenski, Ivan Provorov and Dante Fabbro. The Fabbro goal late in the second period came with Leaf forward Steven Lorentz trying to get to the bench after being bumped head-first into the dasher at the other end. Lorentz, who missed some time with a suspected head injury earlier this month, did not return to the game.

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Cole Sillinger had two for the Jackets, with Mathieu Olivier completing his four-point night. Sammy Blais brought the Leafs within one goal, while Tavares and Nick Robertson struck in the dying minutes.

The Leafs had two late power plays, one lasting just a few seconds before Auston Matthews was called himself. Coach Craig Berube was changing lines as early as the first period, during which he called a time out after Sillinger’s first soft goal to give his team a lecture.

In addition to Primeau, Tavares and Matthew Knies had a rough statistical night, both minus three.

The first 500-goal man in the NHL was Maurice (The Rocket) Richard whose name is now on the regular season goal trophy. Taveras’s first goal as the first pick overall of the New York Islanders was against Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009.

The only other NHLer to hit 500 in a Leaf sweater was Mats Sundin in 2006, after starting his career with the Quebec Nordiques. An assist on Tuesday was Tavares’s 1,127th point, passing Mike Bossy and Joe Nieuwendyk for 63rd in league history.

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