There are plenty of questions surrounding William Nylander heading into Game 3 for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. Will he play? What’s his injury situation? Why is he practicing and not in games? Some of those questions got answers, but new questions arose as Auston Matthews wasn’t on the ice in the morning.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe says there’s “a chance” William Nylander plays tonight for the Leafs. He took practice and regular line rushes, but the team wouldn’t commit to him being in the lineup. Keefe also acknowledged that Nylander was on the ice with scratches ahead of Game 3. As for why Auston Matthews wasn’t on the ice, it was said the sniper was resting this morning and is good to go tonight.
Speculation was everywhere when Matthews wasn’t at practice Wednesday morning. Did he take a bump? Was he nursing something? Would he be good to go? None of that was covered in Keefe’s comments, other than to say Matthews would play. Players have been omitted from practice before to keep them fresh for the games, but Matthews not being on the ice at all seemed to suggest he might have something minor he’s dealing with.
Matthews stepped up in Game 2. The Leafs will need him.
The Nylander Drama Continues
Meanwhile, the Nylander saga continues to puzzle fans and media. There was some speculation that perhaps he was being sat for disciplinary reasons. Elliotte Friedman was a guest on the Pat McAfee Show this week and said he didn’t believe it was off-ice issues keeping Nylander out of games. Friedman looked into those rumors and the people he spoke with “have furiously denied it.”
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Instead, he believes Nylander got injured in either Game 81 or Game 82 of the season and didn’t feel the effects of that injury until after the season ended. It was unexpected and bad enough to keep him out of the lineup. The hope is that he’s good to go and will be in the series moving forward. Nick Alberga of The Nation Network posts that it is believed that William Nylander is dealing with a head injury. The Leafs have offered no confirmation of that.
The Maple Leafs and Bruins are tied 1-1 going back to Toronto where Keefe, Matthews and possibly Nylander are hoping to take their first lead in the series.