BOSTON -- William Nylander did not play for the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Monday because of an undisclosed injury.
The 27-year-old forward had participated in the morning skate after missing Game 1 of the best-of-7 series on Saturday, a 5-1 loss. Despite taking the ice with the full team Monday, he did not participate in line rushes and stayed on for extra skating with projected scratches.
Nylander also did not participate in special-teams drills. Forward Tyler Bertuzzi was elevated to the top power-play unit, while forward Calle Jarnkrok moved down to the second unit. Toronto went 0-for-3 with the man-advantage Saturday, and its only goal came from David Kampf on the fourth line.
Nylander played all 82 games in the regular season, finishing with an NHL career-high 98 points (40 goals, 58 assists), which ranked 10th in the League. His offensive ability was missed in Game 1, but his teammates said they received a boost just by seeing him on the ice Monday.
“Obviously, a really good sign,” Maple Leafs captain John Tavares said. “We know what he means to our hockey club, so obviously great that he was out there.”
After Game 1, Keefe and multiple players pointed to how Toronto overcame key absences during the regular season, and it’ll have to do the same in Game 2 with Nylander unavailable.
“They’re taking care of him, so it’s [only] a matter of time until he’s back in the lineup,” Maple Leafs forward Nicholas Robertson said. “We’ve got to do what we can without him and hopefully get a win tonight.”
