John Tavares Scores 500th NHL Goal in Maple Leafs' 6-3 Loss to Blue Jackets

John Tavares achieved a significant milestone by scoring his 500th career NHL goal during a game where the Toronto Maple Leafs faced the Columbus Blue Jackets. Despite Tavares' historic goal, the Maple Leafs lost the game 6-3 as Columbus dominated with strong performances from Cole Sillinger, who scored two goals and an assist, and Mathieu Olivier, who contributed a goal and three assists. Columbus built an early lead in the first period and extended it in the second, with key goals from Zach Werenski, Ivan Provorov, and Dante Fabbro among others. Toronto struggled to keep pace despite outshooting Columbus in the first period and late goals from Tavares and Nicholas Robertson. The Blue Jackets' victory marked their third straight win and fifth in six games, with notable assists from Charlie Coyle, who reached his 300th career assist. Tavares now ranks 49th in NHL history for all-time goals, joining an elite group of fewer than 50 players to reach this milestone.