Maple Leafs' Nylander 'does whatever is going to make us win'
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Two empty nets, two potential chances to score, two passes to Maple Leafs teammate Pontus Holmberg.
That’s how William Nylander went about his business as the Leafs beat the Carolina Hurricanes and Chicago Blackhawks on the weekend in returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
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Yes, Nylander was sitting on 33 goals before the Leafs played in Boston against the Bruins on Tuesday night and he has an outside chance at hitting the 50-goal milestone. He was second in National Hockey League goals, behind only the 42 scored by the Edmonton Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl.
Nylander shouldn’t have a problem reaching a personal best, as he set a career high with 40 goals in 2022-23 and tied it last season.
That Nylander passed to Holmberg — and didn’t try to score on either occasion to pad his goal stats — wasn’t a surprise to other Leafs.
Holmberg scored on both plays.
“I think Willie just tries to make the right play,” John Tavares told media on Boston on Tuesday. “Whether it’s setting up a teammate or putting it in himself, he has the ability to be a factor in scoring goals or making plays. He’s just trying to do what he can to help the team win
“It’s always good to see guys throughout our lineup contribute (such as Holmberg) and get on the board and feel good about themselves.”
Bobby McMann had a similar view.
“I think it just says (Nylander) makes in-game reads and he sees whatever is most fit,” McMann said. “He is such a dynamic player and that’s why he has had so much success. He takes whatever play is there. He does whatever is going to make us win in the end.”
CALLING ON CALLE
It shouldn’t be long before Calle Jarnkrok makes his season debut after recovering from groin/sports hernia surgery, which the winger had in November.
“He is very close,” Leafs coach Craig Berube said to reporters in Boston. “There are some things that have to be done with stuff. He is feeling excellent and he has to see the doctor yet, and he will do that shortly. But he’s feeling great on the ice. He is really ready to play.”
If the Leafs were to activate Jarnkrok now, they wouldn’t have much space remaining under the salary cap. With data supplied by puckpedia.com, the Leafs’ salary cap room hovers at approximately $2.2 million US, and Jarnkrok’s cap hit is $2.1 million. Not much wiggle room for the Leafs, in other words.
One possible move would be to waive Ryan Reaves (whose cap hit is $1.35 million), but despite not playing regularly, the fourth-line winger remains popular with his teammates.
Never mind the small sample size, Alex Steeves in two games had given Leafs management something to think about when contemplating their next roster moves (as in, he should stay with the NHL club and not be returned to the Toronto Marlies).
One way or another, Jarnkrok might play on Friday in New York against the Rangers or on Sunday in Pittsburgh against the Penguins.
STICK IT TO YOU
Steven Lorentz could play hockey for decades and probably won’t again experience what he did during the Leafs’ 5-2 win in Chicago on Sunday.
In a clip that was making the rounds, a scoring chance by the Leafs winger during an odd-man rush was broken up by a broken stick — which happened to be his own, discarded earlier in the shift.
As Lorentz came down the wing and moved to shoot on Blackhawks goalie Arvid Soderblom, he also got a piece of his now-useless stick. Nothing came of the opportunity.
“It has never happened to me and I have never seen it happen to anyone else either,” Lorentz said. “Just tough luck, I guess.
“I knew the stick was there. I have white tape on my knob so I saw the little piece of it. I could hear the bench yelling ‘Shoot!’ because I wanted Dave (Kampf) on the backside.
“As soon as I released it, that’s when I really noticed, was when I fired the puck. It’s like: ‘You have to be kidding me.’ One of those things that’s unfortunate, but we scored enough goals to win that game, so we’re happy.”
It’s the second time since Christmas that Lorentz has been involved in something unusual on the ice.
During warmup against Washington at Scotiabank Arena on Dec. 28, Lorentz’s chin strap got caught in the glass. His helmet hung above the ice until Max Domi retrieved a pair of scissors and cut it down.
LOOSE LEAFS
Lorentz, a Waterloo native, on the Leafs-Bruins rivalry and experiencing it as a player for the first time this season: “It’s awesome. I still feel like I’ve been part of the team since I was a little kid, so I take it personally when stuff goes on and I’m always in the mix with what’s happening between the two teams. It’s easy to get up for these games because you know there is going to be a lot of emotions and the crowd is going to be into it.” … The game marked the final of four this season between the Leafs and the Bruins, though there remains the chance they could meet in the playoffs. Coming out of the break, the Leafs had at least one game remaining against each Atlantic Division opponent, but will see only the Florida Panthers (three times) more than once … Tavares on Steeves: “He has been playing really good hockey all year and has a lot of confidence around the net and playing his game. All year he has built a really good foundation. Not surprised with the way that has translated here.”
X: @koshtorontosun
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