Brandon Carlo says John Tavares’ preparation is key to success ahead of 500-goal milestone

The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to add another win to their record after a 4-3 overtime win at home against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, and while everybody on the team would agree that the two points are the most important thing, there’s a special milestone on the horizon.

John Tavares scored the overtime winner on Saturday, but beyond the big goal for the team, it was also a personal milestone for him, marking his 499th goal in the NHL. He’s one goal away from becoming the 49th player in NHL history to hit the 500-goal plateau. This comes after Tavares’ two-point effort against the Seattle Kraken made him the fourth player all time to record 500 points with two different teams, joining Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, and Ron Francis.

Maple Leafs defenceman Brandon Carlo says it’s special getting to watch Tavares’ milestone chase and that it gives the team as a whole a little extra juice.

“It’s obviously incredible, he’s made some amazing history in this league,” Carlo told reporters when asked what Tavares’ milestone means to the dressing room. “He’s the fourth guy to do the 500-point thing with a couple of different organization. But, yeah, I can’t imagine having that many goals by any means, but he’s a fantastic player, it was special to see him score that overtime winner the other night and hopefully he can come up with another big one here soon.”

Tavares’ dedication to his craft and keeping his body healthy is something that’s been pointed out by many teammates and head coaches, and Carlo says that his preparation routine is something everybody can learn from.

“There’s not a moment that I’ve seen him take off from his preparation, which is pretty special,” Carlo continued. “That’s a guy that you definitely want to learn from and kind of follow his example. I’ve been fortunate enough to be around some guys like that within my career, it helps you develop good habits for yourself as well, you know, being able to follow the things that he’s doing. I love the way John carries himself, I think he’s a leader in that regard for sure.”

Ask Tavares about his milestone and he’ll either deflect credit to his teammates or brush it off entirely, or sometimes both. It’s par for the course for a veteran who has given everything he could since signing with this hometown team in July 2018.