"Gotta be running low on teeth by now": NHL fans troll Chris Tanev after Maple Leafs D-man seemingly loses another teeth after taking puck to the face

Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev became the latest player to suffer an injury after blocking a shot with his face. In the second period of a New Year's Eve game, Tanev was battling Islanders captain Anders Lee in front of Joseph Woll. A shot from Mathew Barzal deflected off Jake McCabe's stick and hit Tanev in the face. Tanev was left bloodied and needed attention.

Tanev briefly went down after taking a hit, possibly to recover some teeth, before going to the dressing room. He had missed the previous game with a lower-body injury but returned later in the period. Tanev signed a six-year contract in July to strengthen the Leafs' right-side defense.

Tanev leads the team with 102 blocked shots in 36 games. After the incident, Gino Hard posted on X (formerly Twitter), saying:

"Chris Tanev spits out a tooth after taking a puck to the face"

Following the incident, fans started reacting to it on X.

"he’s gotta be running low on teeth by now," a fan said.

"That’s gum. No human has that big of a tooth unless your last name is pollock," another fan commented.

"Dinosaur tooth? That was his gum! Lol," one X user said.

Take a look at some more reactions from fans on X:

"Might of been rocking his fake teeth in game cuz that was a large chunk of something," a fan said.

"Didn't know he had any left," a fan commented.

"His getting ready for the playoffs," a fan tweeted.

Chris Tanev has been a key player for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season.

After taking a puck to the face, Chris Tanev returned to the game quickly. Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube praised his toughness and smart play:

"He's old school for sure and he's a gamer all around. He lays it on the line. I mean, I was expecting him back sooner than later, I'll tell you that. He's a special player," Berube said.

Tanev leads the NHL in blocked shots with 106 in 37 games. Teammates like Morgan Rielly call him a “competitor.”

"Tough guy. Competitor. Ultimate warrior," Rielly said (via thehockeynews.com).

Steven Lorentz, a newer teammate, also sees Tanev’s importance on the ice.

"I mean, you just know what he brings every single night. It's not flashy. I mean, you need guys like that in your roster if you're going to win championships...," Lorentz said. "But he's a warrior and came right back and played a solid shutdown game for the rest of the third...."

Chris Tanev's gameplay is a significant asset to his teammates. His calm demeanor with the puck and his intelligent decision-making consistently benefit the team.