BOSTON – William Nylander hasn’t been ruled out for Game 2 of the Maple Leafs’ first-round playoff series.
Toronto’s star winger sat out his team’s 5-1 loss to the Boston Bruins in Saturday’s opener with an undisclosed injury.
Nylander didn’t take part in line rushes during Monday’s morning skate at TD Garden, but head coach Sheldon Keefe said following the session his status will be determined ahead of puck drop.
“It’s great to see him with the group,” Keefe said. “We’ll see how he feels.”
Nylander appeared to be in good spirits with his teammates, but also didn’t take part in special teams drills and stayed on the ice late with most of Toronto’s projected scratches.
The 27-year-old Swede played all 82 games in the regular season, putting up 40 goals for the second straight campaign and setting a career-high with 98 points in 2023-24, but registered just four assists over his final 11 contests.
Toronto rookie winger Nick Robertson slotted into the lineup as Nylander’s replacement in Game 1 and looked likely to get the call again Monday.
Related Videos
The 22-year-old seemed to suggest he expects to be in the lineup again for Game 2.
“They’re taking care of them,” Robertson said of Nylander. “It’s only a matter of time until he’s back.
“We’ve got to do what we can without him and hopefully get a win.”
Nylander has missed time due to illness in the past, but hadn’t sat out due to injury since the 2016-17 season until this series.
“It’s great, big part of our team,” Leafs forward Max Domi said of having him skate with the group. “Excited to see him out there. He looks good.”
Nylander had four goals and 10 points in 11 playoff games last spring as Toronto won a series for the first time in nearly two decades. He’s added 17 goals and 40 points in 50 career post-season contests.
The best-of-seven matchup shifts to Toronto for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Saturday.
Robertson, who had 14 goals and 27 points in 56 contests in 2023-24, made his NHL debut inside the tightly managed post-season bubble minus fans in the summer of 2020 after the league resumed play during the COVID-19 pandemic.
More on Sports
“It was exciting,” he said of his first playoff game with fans Saturday. “A lot of emotion, a lot of intensity.”
Robertson had a great chance in tight early in Saturday’s first period, but was denied by Boston goaltender Jeremy Swayman.
“Amazed I got a puck like that right away on the first shift,” he said. “Goalie made a great save. I wish I lifted it up a little bit.”
The Leafs and Bruins are meeting for the fourth time in 12 years in the first round. Boston won the three previous series — in 2013, 2018 and 2019 — in seven games.
Keefe was asked about Domi’s performance in a Game 1 that saw him cross-check and slash Boston’s Brad Marchand before the puck was dropped. He then took a slashing penalty in the second period on the Bruins captain that led to the home side’s fourth goal.
“It’s all part of the intensity,” Keefe said. “I don’t need Max to change anything about who he is. He’s an important guy for us.
“I loved the intensity he brought the other night.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 22, 2024.
___
Follow @JClipperton_CP on X.
© 2024 The Canadian Press