William Nylander returns to Maple Leafs lineup for Game 4 against Bruins
William Nylander has joined the Stanley Cup chase.
The Maple Leafs winger was in the lineup for Game 4 of Toronto's first-round playoff series with the Boston Bruins on Saturday night after sitting out the first three contests with an undisclosed injury.
Nylander, whose team trailed Boston 2-1 in the best-of-seven Original Six matchup entering play, scored 40 goals for the second consecutive regular season to go along with a career-high 98 points in 2023-24.
The 27-year-old also had 10 points in 11 playoff games last spring as Toronto won a series for the first time since 2004.
Rookie winger Nick Robertson stayed in the lineup on the fourth line alongside David Kampf and Ryan Reaves. Connor Dewar was the odd man out. Leafs defenceman T.J. Brodie, meanwhile, took the spot of Timothy Liljegren on the blue line after he was a healthy scratch to open the series.
Game 5 goes Tuesday in Boston. Game 6, if necessary, would be Thursday back in Toronto.
“It'd be huge,” Leafs defenceman Jake McCabe said Saturday morning of Nylander's potential addition. “Any time you get one of the top players in the league back in your lineup, it's a pretty positive thing. He does a lot for us.
“He can change a game at the snap of a finger … Willy's important to our group.”
Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said deciding which player would come out of the lineup wasn't a slam dunk.
“Not an easy decision whatsoever,” Keefe said. “Dewar has done a tremendous job in his own place in what we've asked of him.”
Nylander's absence was the first time he'd missed time due to injury since November 2016.
The Swede's introduction was a welcome boost for Toronto's attack, which had scored six goals in nine periods and was just 1-for-11 on the power play entering Saturday.
Also part of a penalty kill that's surrendered five goals on 10 opportunities to the Bruins, Nylander took warm-ups on a line with countrymen Calle Jarnkrok and Pontus Holmberg after also lining up that way before Game 3 and again at Friday's practice.
“A key player for their team,” Bruins defenceman Kevin Shattenkirk said. “He's lethal, he can score, make plays, gives added firepower. He's someone that you definitely worry about and have to plan for. We're certainly aware of that and know what he can do.”
He added Boston planned to lean on Nylander as much as possible.
“Even when you're playing Game 1, when you're healthy, the speed ramps up, the intensity ramps up,” Shattenkirk said of playoff hockey. “We just have to make it as uncomfortable as possible for him.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bank of Canada cuts key rate for first time in more than 4 years
The Bank of Canada has cut its overnight rate by 25 basis points, a move not seen since the beginning of the pandemic.
Hamilton children's hospital pauses tonsil, adenoid surgeries after death of 2 pediatric patients
McMaster Children’s Hospital is pausing scheduled tonsil and adenoid surgeries for patients under the age of 18 after officials say two pediatric patients who underwent the procedure died shortly after being discharged.
'Is this legal?': Elon Musk questions UBC hiring practices
Billionaire Elon Musk is questioning diversity and inclusion hiring practices, using the social media platform he owns to criticize a job posting from the University of British Columbia.
WATCH Massive sinkhole opens up on Australia World Heritage-listed island
A 'near-shore landslide' has opened up a large sinkhole that's eating one of the iconic beaches on Australia's World Heritage-listed K’gari Island, formerly known as Fraser Island.
As Nova Scotians rebuild following wildfires, they also brace for property tax increase
In the Tantallon area of suburban Halifax, the wildfires of May and June in 2023 destroyed 200 buildings and 151 homes, and caused a massive evacuation for 16,000 people.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Pierre Poilievre proves to be a quick study when it comes to damage control
It was Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s birthday on Monday, but he could've probably done without the package that one of his more obscure backbenchers dropped on his doorstep, writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his latest column for CTVNews.ca.
When Hitler threatened the world, they enlisted. Today, they have 6 great-grandchildren
Born in 1922, Anne McNamara is now 101 years old. Her husband Howard is 104. They are among the few remaining Canadian veterans with first-hand memories of WWII.
Are more Americans moving to Canada because of Trump?
While a growing number of Americans may be considering moving north to Canada to escape Donald Trump, an immigration lawyer says few will actually qualify to live and work here.
WATCH Will the Bank of Canada keep cutting rates? What an economist thinks
The Bank of Canada cut its overnight rate by 25 basis points, the first drop in more than four years --- but is it just the beginning of a round of cutting? An economist says we'll know more about the bank's thinking after the next announcement