Tavares scored twice in a 6-5 loss to the Devils on Thursday.
Tavares scored 18 seconds into the first period when he took a pass from Mitchell Marner in the slot and cut around Luke Hughes in the left circle to beat Jake Allen with a wrister as the goaltender fell to his knees. Tavares tied the game 5-5 late in the third with a wrist shot from the top of the crease. Tavares snapped a five-game goal drought with the snipes, which pushed his season mark to 26. He has delivered at least 24 goals in every season of his career except the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign.