TORONTO -- William Nylander will not play for the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Boston Bruins at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday.
The forward, the Maple Leafs' second-leading scorer behind center Auston Matthews during the regular season with 98 points (40 goals, 58 assists) in 82 games, missed Games 1 and 2 with an undisclosed injury. He participated in Toronto’s morning skate Wednesday working on a line with left wing Calle Jarnkrok and center Pontus Holmberg, though he remained on the ice long after the skate had concluded with projected scratches.
When asked how much Nylander’s status affects the Bruins' approach, coach Jim Montgomery responded, “I would say I’m hoping he’s not playing again tonight.”
Toronto tied the series with a 3-2 win in Game 2 on Monday, but expects a determined response from Boston in Game 3.
“We have to be ready for their push,” Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner said. “We have to make sure we come with our own at the start of this game and we dictate the pace.”
Here are 3 keys for Game 3:
1. Minimize Matthews’ magic
Faced with the potential of going down 2-0 in the best-of-7 series in Game 2, Matthews delivered the kind of performance Toronto desperately needed from him. He led all Maple Leafs players in ice time with 23:24, had a game-high eight shots and factored on all three Toronto goals.
“What I’ve been impressed with him is how tenacious he’s been on pucks, how tenacious he’s been on the forecheck,” Montgomery said. “He’s been relentless with his work ethic. First goal, he wins a battle, rings it off the cross bar, ends up in our net. The other play, he gets in behind us. We can’t let him get in behind us. He’s the most dangerous man on the ice, you have to be tighter. He’s the most dangerous man on the ice because he’s earned it.”
Matthews, who led the NHL with 69 goals during the regular season, shot off the crossbar to lead to forward Max Domi’s tying goal 14 seconds after the Bruins took a 1-0 first-period lead. Matthews then scored the game-winning goal at 12:06 of the third period, when he got behind Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy at the offensive blue line, caught an aerial pass from Domi and scored on a breakaway.
“He’s the best goal-scorer in the League for a reason, he finds ways,” Bruins captain Brad Marchand said. “Look at his goal (in Game 2), that was a nothing play and they get a game-winning goal off of it. Even when you think you are tight on him, you are not tight enough, but that’s the thing with the best players, they find a way.”
2. Extra caution on extracurriculars
The Maple Leafs have talked a lot about staying disciplined throughout the series, but so far, that talk has not translated to action.
In Game 1, a 5-1 Bruins win in which they went 2-for-5 on the power play, Domi took a slashing penalty on Marchand at 15:38 of the second period which led to forward Jake DeBrusk’s power-play goal at 17:34 to make it 4-0.
In Game 2, defenseman Jake McCabe took a cross-checking penalty against Boston forward Jakub Lauko after the whistle, which led to a power-play goal by forward Morgan Geekie at 10:18 of the first period for a 1-0 Bruins lead.
Later in the game, forward Tyler Bertuzzi took a slashing penalty on Marchand after the whistle at 13:57 of the third period, 1:51 after Matthews had given Toronto a 3-2 lead. The Maple Leafs allowed one shot on the power play and was able to kill it off.
“You’ve got to be smart,” Keefe said. “You’ve got to recognize the moment, recognize the player (Marchand) and players you are playing against. They’re very good at making it very clear that there’s been an infraction, so we have to manage that for sure.”
With Boston 3-for-7 on the power play (42.9 percent) through Games 1 and 2, Toronto must refrain from taking unnecessary or after-the-whistle penalties.
3. Adjustments on defense
The Bruins could insert two new defensemen for Game 3 after Andrew Peeke sustained an upper-body injury in Game 2.
Mason Lohrei, who was recalled from Providence of the American Hockey League on Tuesday, skated with McAvoy during Boston's morning skate Wednesday. Parker Wotherspoon, a healthy scratch in Games 1 and 2, skated with Kevin Shattenkirk, leaving Matt Grzelcyk as a projected scratch.
Lohrei had 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 41 regular-season games as a rookie this season. If he plays Wednesday, it would be the 23-year-old's Stanley Cup Playoff debut.
“He’s a sponge with the coaches so he’s really fun to work with," Montgomery said, "and I think the growth in his defensive game has been very obvious.
Bruins projected lineup
Danton Heinen -- Pavel Zacha -- David Pastrnak
Brad Marchand -- Charlie Coyle -- Jake DeBrusk
James van Riemsdyk -- Morgan Geekie -- Trent Frederic
John Beecher -- Jesper Boqvist -- Patrick Maroon
Mason Lohrei -- Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm -- Brandon Carlo
Parker Wotherspoon -- Kevin Shattenkirk
Jeremy Swayman
Linus Ullmark
Scratched: Matt Grzelcyk, Jakub Lauko
Injured: Andrew Peeke (upper body), Justin Brazeau (upper body), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)
Maple Leafs projected lineup
Tyler Bertuzzi -- Auston Matthews -- Max Domi
Matthew Knies -- John Tavares -- Mitch Marner
Calle Jarnkrok -- Pontus Holmberg -- Nicholas Robertson
Connor Dewar -- David Kampf -- Ryan Reaves
Morgan Rielly -- Ilya Lyubushkin
Simon Benoit -- Jake McCabe
Joel Edmundson -- Timothy Liljegren
Ilya Samsonov
Joseph Woll
*Scratched: Martin Jones, Noah Gregor, TJ Brodie, Conor Timmins, Mark Giordano,
Injured: William Nylander (undisclosed), Matt Murray (hip), Bobby McMann (lower body)
Status report
Peeke is week to week. ... Forbort is day to day; the defenseman made the trip to Toronto but is unlikely to play in Game 3. ... Van Riemsdyk, a healthy scratch in Games 1 and 2, worked on the top power play unit during the Bruins morning skate Wednesday and the forward could play, though Montgomery did not confirm who would come out of the lineup. ... Matthews did not participate in the Maple Leafs morning skate for maintenance, but will play, Keefe said.
