Toronto Maple Leafs right wing William Nylander works around Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Austin Watson, centre, and left wing Conor Sheary in Tampa, Fla., on April 17.Chris O'Meara/The Associated Press
William Nylander has not enjoyed watching the Maple Leafs’ first three playoff games against the Boston Bruins. In nine years with Toronto, he had missed just two previous games.
“I don’t like it,” Nylander said after practice at the Ford Performance Centre on Friday. “That first game was crazy. We had so many chances in those first two minutes that my heart was racing. I’ve never been so nervous in my life.”
Nylander participated in drills ahead of Game 4 on Saturday on a line with Pontus Holmberg and Calle Jarnkrok and played with the first power-play unit. He looks ready to return from an undisclosed health problem. He refused to confirm a report on Thursday that his absence has been related to migraine issues.
A migraine is a severe headache that is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and extreme sensitivity to light and sound.
“That’s personal so I am not going to get into that,” Nylander told a gaggle of journalists. “But is there anything else you guys want to discuss?”
The 27-year-old winger had a career-best 40 goals and 98 points in 82 games during the regular season. The Maple Leafs are 1-for-11 on the power play without him and have now scored three goals or fewer in their past 10 postseason outings.
They will get a boost upon his return. Toronto trails Boston 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, which resumes at Scotiabank Arena.
“He looked great to me on the ice,” coach Sheldon Keefe said. “In terms of his status we’ll have to determine that tomorrow. He is a very important player for us in many regards.”
Auston Matthews scored the winning goal in Game 2 but has only found the net once in the past five games after setting a club record with 69 goals during the 2023-24 campaign. He felt ill on Wednesday but one couldn’t tell based on the way he played. He has sat out two of the team’s past three practices.
“I know Auston is going to give us everything he has,” Keefe said. “He played extremely hard on Wednesday and had a couple of chances that could have fallen his way but didn’t. It might have been his most physical game of the series.
“He might not have had it in other ways but he tried to impact the outcome in other spots.”
Jeremy Swayman has stopped 63 out of 66 shots in Boston’s two victories but Bruins coach Jim Montgomery would not confirm that he will be in the net in Game 4. Swayman and Linus Ullmark have rotated duties through the season. Ullmark played well but was tagged with the loss in the Maple Leafs’ victory.
“We are following the plan that we had set in place,” Montgomery said.
A loss on Saturday would leave Toronto in desperate shape. It would have to win three in a row to avoid being eliminated in the first round for the eighth time in nine years. Montgomery said he doesn’t believe the Bruins have any momentum despite Wednesday’s victory.
“There is no carry-over from game to game in the playoffs that I have noticed for years,” Montgomery said.
Along with Nylander, the Maple Leafs could tinker with their defence, possibly inserting T.J. Brodie or Mark Giordano into the lineup. Neither of the veterans has appeared in the series.
Nylander would no doubt have the greatest impact if he returns. He has 17 goals and 40 points in 50 playoff games in his career but 12 over the past 25 contests.
“I was happy to see him today,” said Leafs goalie Ilya Samsonov. “I hope he is ready for the next game. It would be huge for us.”
Nylander didn’t tip his hand.
“We’ll see,” he said. “I’ve been skating and I feel pretty good but it is what it is. You can’t force yourself back into the game. I’ll be ready when I am ready.
“When you have been through the entire season and haven’t missed a game and then you miss the first games in the playoffs it’s tough. Hopefully I am back soon.”