As the Toronto Maple Leafs continue preparations to face Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday evening at Scotiabank Arena, they'll be getting a critical component of their lineup back on the ice thanks to the return of William Nylander.
Nylander has missed three of the last four games after he continued to feel the effects of taking a thunderous open-ice hit from forward Jason Zucker of the Buffalo Sabres. Following this morning's skate in Toronto, Nylander told reporters that he was ready to return and that the time off did him good for the healing process.
“I'm good, good to go,” Nylander said via Sportsnet. “The rest was, I think, pretty huge for (the injury), so it was good.”
During the skate, Nylander was on a line with John Tavares and rookie forward Easton Cowan, who recently netted his first NHL goal. Nylander explained that Cowan is not only a smart player but that his playmaking abilities will further complement himself and Tavares.
“Obviously, he's been buzzing and playing really well,” Nylander said of Cowan. “It was nice to see him get that first one, he'll complement us and he's a smart player, he's been making good plays out there….he's gonna be making plays and getting open and doing that stuff.”
The puck will drop at Scotiabank Arena starting just after 7:30 p.m. ET.
William Nylander has missed 3 of the last 4 Maple Leafs games
The Maple Leafs are still searching for some semblance of consistency through the early goings of this campaign, and Nylander's return will only help them further that goal.
So far this season, Nylander has scored three goals while contributing 12 assists and has also averaged just under 20 minutes of ice time per game.
Following the hit that he took from Zucker, Nylander missed one game, came back for the next, but then missed the following two contests. During that time, the Maple Leafs earned wins over the Calgary Flames and Philadelphia Flyers, but were defeated by the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Nylander's linemate, Tavares, notched the 500th goal of his career during the aforementioned setback against the Blue Jackets in Columbus.
