Updated 06.08 | Published 04.06
William Nylander is back with a message. The Swede was a strong contributor to Toronto defeating Vancouver at home with 5-0.
After battling a lower-body injury that kept him out of action for six straight NHL games, William Nylander was back on the ice.
– He contributes offensive power and adds a lot in many areas. “It’s great to have him back,” Toronto coach Craig Berube said ahead of Sunday night’s game against Vancouver.
The 29-year-old immediately showed how much of an addition he can be. A well-placed pass from close to the edge to Matias Maccelli that made it 1-0 after eight minutes played was just the beginning of Nylander’s evening.
Twelve minutes later he himself poked in 3–0, his 15th goal of the season.
There would be another point in the game for Nylander. In the second period, he broke Zeev Buium’s pass and then sent the puck directly to John Tavares. The veteran came alone with newly replaced Kevin Lankinen in the Vancouver goal and had no problem making it 4-0.
“It was a great job (by Nylander) reading the game, his timing, his awareness of all those things. That is why he is an elite player, says Tavares according to nhl.com.
Nylander, who is part of the Swedish Olympic squad, has accounted for 44 points so far this season – the most in Toronto and third most among Swedish players in the league, behind Lucas Raymond (Detroit) and Leo Carlsson (Anaheim).
– It’s not fun to be on the sidelines and just watch, but the team has played fantastically, so it was fun to see them play well, Nylander says about his absence.
