William Nylander returned to the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ lineup for the first time since December 27, and it was like he never left, picking up a goal and two assists in a 5-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks.
Despite a couple of stretches without much to write home about, Nylander remains one of the Maple Leafs’ most consistent forwards, leading the team with 44 points in 34 games. Confident and equally humble, as always, Nylander said that he was happy with his performance in his first game back, but more than anything happy that he was able to contribute to his team’s continued success.
“I felt pretty good, I think we got off to a good start,” Nylander told reporters following the game. “So, I mean, that was nice, and Steven [Lorentz] made an unbelievable pass. So, it was a good way to come back. Just happy that the boys have been playing great while I’ve been gone, so it was easy to jump in.”
While Nylander stole the show offensively, the Leafs don’t get the win without another outstanding performance on the penalty kill. The Leafs killed all six Canucks power plays en route to the win, in large part thanks to Scott Laughton, who has won a whopping 36 of his last 40 faceoffs. Nylander was asked about Laughton’s performance in the dot and joked that he had never heard anybody talk about faceoffs like this until recently.
“I’ve never even heard about it, like, guys talking about faceoffs, but he’s been doing something crazy the past couple of games,” Nylander said with a laugh.
The Maple Leafs will have another chance to win four straight games for the first time this season, but it won’t be easy. Their next game will come against the Colorado Avalanche, who lead the league with a record of 33-4-7. Nylander says the team will welcome the challenge despite having the odds stacked against them.
“I think it’s going to be a great challenge for us, and, you know, bring our game to another level,” Nylander said. “We’ve been building here, so, take it on the road.”
The Maple Leafs will visit the Avalanche on Monday to kick off a four-game road trip with games against the Utah Mammoth, Vegas Golden Knights, and Winnipeg Jets to close out the week.
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