Tavares hits multiple milestones with 4-goal outing vs. Panthers

John Tavares had himself quite a night versus the Florida Panthers on Monday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs superstar registered the first four-goal game of his career and reached several impressive milestones in the process.

His dominant effort in the Leafs' 7-5 win pushed him to 45 tallies on the season, good for second in the NHL. It's also a franchise record for most goals by a player in his first season with the Maple Leafs, according to NHL Public Relations.

"It's obviously nice to get rewarded like that, it's always a good feeling," Tavares said postgame. "But you know, I think we still feel we can be a little better with some of the opportunities we gave up and eventually went in our net.

"All in all, obviously, I think mostly it was a good night and we'll build on the good stuff."

Toronto's marquee offseason addition also established a new record for goals scored by a former unrestricted free agent in his debut season with a new team, according to Sportsnet's JD Bunkis. Marian Gaborik, the previous record-holder, scored 42 goals in 2009-10 after signing as a UFA with the New York Rangers.

Tavares' 45 goals this season are the most by a Maple Leafs player since Dave Andreychuk in 1993-94 (53). He's also matched his career high in points at 86 with six games to go.

So far, Tavares' new contract looks like money well spent for Toronto.

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