"Just f***ing playing": Leafs' William Nylander has prophetic interview
William Nylander called his shot on Thursday night for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
With Nylander missing the first three games of Toronto’s series against the Boston Bruins, it wasn’t that hard to find some critics about his absence, questioning his toughness and ability to perform come playoff time. Though it was never officially confirmed by the team, Nylander was reportedly dealing with a migraine issue that held him out of the start of the series.
In Games 4 and 5, Nylander was held off the scoresheet, with Toronto splitting his first two games.
But asked before puck drop by the American broadcast team about what the mood was like heading into an elimination game, Nylander wasn’t all that fazed about the task at hand.
“We’re just f***ing playing,” Nylander told TNT prior to puck drop, while flashing a smile.
āWe got nothing to lose, weāre just f**king playing.ā
William Nylander on facing elimination.
(š„: @BR_OpenIce) pic.twitter.com/FZimOtOnOE
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 3, 2024
And, well, it turns out that call was a rather prophetic one.
Not only did Nylander score his first goal of the series on Thursday night to open the scoring, he ended up giving Toronto a 2-0 lead late into the third period in what would end up being the game-winning goal.
Nylander’s first goal came with a seeing-eye shot that found its way in through traffic:
THE LEAFS BREAK THE ICE! š§ #StanleyCup
William Nylander puts the @MapleLeafs up 1-0!
šŗšø:Ā @NHL_on_TNTĀ (TBS) &Ā @SportsonMaxĀ ā”ļøĀ https://t.co/W9mpYG1lMOā°šØš¦:Ā @SportsnetĀ or stream on Sportsnet+ ā”ļøĀ https://t.co/sEijvXhbA1 pic.twitter.com/G8oF1wO3SG
— NHL (@NHL) May 3, 2024
Meanwhile, his second goal of the evening came via a breakaway with a little over two minutes to go in the third period.
WILLY KEEPS STYLIN' FOR HIS SECOND OF THE NIGHT š¤ pic.twitter.com/1oVcGcSwlv
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 3, 2024
The insurance of Nylander’s second goal ended up being essential, with Boston scoring a goal with under one second on the clock to make the final score 2-1.
The goals were the 18th and 19th of Nylander’s playoff career.
The Leafs saw one lineup change on the night, as they were without healthy scratch Ryan Reaves for the first time in the series. Meanwhile, star forward Auston Matthews missed his second straight game due to an undisclosed illness.
Game 7 goes Saturday night in Boston at TD Garden, with puck drop set for 8 pm.
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