The Toronto Maple Leafs are getting some mystifying news ahead of a key playoff game against the Boston Bruins. Maple Leafs' winger William Nylander is questionable for the game due to an ongoing injury, per TSN. Nylander has been day-to-day with an ailment that has kept him out of the Leafs-Bruins series so far.
“Obviously no update today, because not much happening for us here today except for getting ready to travel. But he's a possibility for us tomorrow, I guess, is all we would say,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said Tuesday, per TSN.
Nylander's injury status vs. Bruins
Nylander is a key element to one of the most productive offenses in the NHL this season. His work on the ice with center Auston Matthews has helped lift the Maple Leafs into the NHL playoffs, with the second-best scoring offense in hockey. Only the Colorado Avalanche have scored more goals this regular season than the Maple Leafs, per league stats.
The winger has missed the last two games with his injury, and the team has used Nick Robertson in his place. The Maple Leafs have battled to a 1-1 tie in their series with the Bruins, despite the forward's absence. Toronto needs him; Nylander has more than 90 points on the season including 40 goals for the second straight year. The Maple Leafs have had to rely on their offense for wins this season, as their defense has struggled. The team has used three different goaltenders this season, who each have more than 20 appearances in net for the club.
It's hard to believe Nylander would sit any more in this series unless he was seriously hurt. The winger had played in all 82 of the club's games during the regular season. He was the only member of the club that appeared in every regular season game. His production had cooled near the end of the campaign, but he is still second on the team in points.
“I mean Willy does so many great things for us,” Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe said, per The Hockey News. “Obviously he can create by himself frankly and seemingly out-of-nothing plays and he's a threat all over the ice offensively for us and he kills penalties for us too. So he's a good leader for us in the room.”
The winger has spent his entire career in Toronto, joining the team in 2015. Nylander posted a career-high in points this season. The Maple Leafs have the longest drought in hockey without a Stanley Cup, despite 13 total championships. The team hasn't won a cup since 1967, and without Nylander, it's likely they won't be able to win one this year either.
The Maple Leafs and Bruins take to the ice for game 3 of their series on Wednesday. The puck drops at 7:00 Eastern.
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