The Maple Leafs said Tavares will be evaluated by the their medical staff in two weeks, which means he will be out for a minimum of six games.
"I think the confidence is very high," Tavares said Friday. "A lot of the group that was here last year, we dealt some injuries with some key players and handled it well and a lot of that leadership core is back. We'll be able to deal with that, it's part of the season, there's always ups and downs."
The 29-year-old center, named captain of the Maple Leafs on Oct. 2, scored with 2:33 remaining in the third period against Washington and has seven points (three goals, four assists) in eight games. The goal extended his point streak to four games (three goals, one assist). He is third among Toronto forwards in average ice time (18:10), behind Mitchell Marner (19:44) and Auston Matthews (18:53).
Tavares had an NHL career-high 88 points (47 goals, 41 assists) in 82 games for Toronto last season after signing a seven-year, $77 million contract as a free agent July 1, 2018, following nine seasons with the New York Islanders. He has missed nine games since the start of the 2014-15 season, and none since April 2017.
The Maple Leafs (4-3-1) play the Boston Bruins at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, CBC, SN1, NESN, NHL.TV).
NHL.com independent correspondent Dave McCarthy contributed to this report
