The Toronto Maple Leafs need William Nylander, regardless of whether he is able to play in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference first-round series against the Boston Bruins.
The Maple Leafs are trailing the Bruins 2-1 heading into their 8 p.m. ET game on Saturday. They have only scored six goals in the series.
Nylander is third among all Toronto players in playoff points from 2016–17, having finished the regular season with 40 goals and 98 points. With eight points in seven games, he led the Maple Leafs in scoring during the 2021 playoffs.
Nylander did not miss a game in the regular season, but following the final regular-season game, he woke up the next morning with a problem that needed to be addressed. Since then, he has continued to feel “pretty stiff,” and he has missed the first three playoff games.
Joshua Kloke of The Athletic reports that Nylander appeared relaxed during Toronto’s entire practice on Friday. After that, though, Nylander would not confirm the nature of his injury or say with certainty whether he would be able to play on Saturday.
“You know what, that is just personal,” he said in reference to the specifics of his problem. “I will not go into that, then.”
What role will he have in Game 4?
“We shall see,” Nylander remarked.
On Friday, Nylander was speaking at least, even though he was not saying anything. This is the first time he has spoken to the media about his predicament.
Naturally, Sheldon Keefe, the coach of the Maple Leafs, refrained from providing any additional details.
“I thought he looked good on the ice,” Keefe remarked. “We will have to talk about his situation tomorrow.”
“You have been through the entire season, and to miss these first games in the playoffs has obviously been tough,” Nylander finally said. Now is the moment to engage in play. I will hopefully be back shortly.”
That is certainly what the other Maple Leafs hope.
