Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander’s availability for Game 3 of their first-round series against the Boston Bruins remains uncertain after he missed the first two games due to an undisclosed injury.
Nylander participated in Wednesday’s morning skate and took regular line rushes with Calle Jarnkrok and Pontus Holmberg, but he stayed back with the projected scratches, leaving his status in doubt for Wednesday’s game.
“There’s a chance (he plays),” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters in Toronto. “Obviously he’s still out there getting work and everything. For him it’s just how he responds, so we’ll take it from there.”
Nylander played in all 82 regular-season games for the Maple Leafs, so his injury came as a surprise. Keefe hasn’t disclosed the nature of the ailment, leading to speculation on social media that Nylander’s absence was due to disciplinary reasons.
However, SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman refuted those rumors during a recent appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“I think the Leafs could’ve handled it a lot better,” Friedman said. “… I don’t believe it’s a discipline. I just don’t. I know those rumors are out there I think they’ve been created because nature abhors a vacuum. I don’t think it’s a disciplinary issue. I just think he got hurt late in the regular season. … but I don’t believe it’s a disciplinary issue. I’ve looked into that and people have furiously denied it.”
Friedman believes that the Maple Leafs wouldn’t have allowed Nylander to chase 100 points — he finished the season with 98 — had they known there was something wrong with him.
The best-of-seven series is tied at one game apiece after splitting Games 1 and 2 in Boston. Game 3 begins at 7 p.m. EST on Wednesday as both teams look to take the lead.
