NHL Status Report: Tavares out for Maple Leafs after birth of son

Toronto Maple Leafs

John Tavares will not play for the Maple Leafs at the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday (9 p.m. ET; NHLN, ALT, SNP, SNW, SNO) following the birth of his son, Tucker. It is Tavares’ fourth child. Tavares, a forward, has three points (one goal, two assists) in Toronto’s first five games (2-2-1). Nick Paul, is expected to slide in to Tavares’ top-six role.