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William Nylander scores the game-winning goal against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
The enigma that is William Nylander was on full, dazzling display Tuesday night.
After inadvertently putting the St. Louis Blues in front in the first period, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ leading scorer made amends late on, turning forward Dylan Holloway and goaltender Jordan Binnington inside out with 53.9 seconds remaining in overtime in a 3-2 Leafs win.
Just as importantly, the goal – Nylander’s ninth of the season and 27th point – snapped Toronto’s five-game losing streak, a run that had seen them pick up just one point from their last 10, plummeting down the standings as a consequence.
“I don’t know,” Nylander said afterwards of his own goal, which he batted past Joseph Woll backhanded just 1:50 into the game. “To be honest, I didn’t know what I was thinking, but it’s a little bit reactionary, I think.”
Never one to feel pressure, even in the midst of a morale-sapping losing streak, Nylander was still happy to make light of the situation: “But it’s nice to feel the back of the net early.”
It would be nicer still when he found it again, taking a pass from Morgan Rielly before “doing what Willy does,” as head coach Craig Berube – who won his first game against the team he led to the 2019 Stanley Cup – described it.
But the real difference maker on that play was John Tavares – the only first-choice Toronto centre not to get hit with the injury bug – keeping the puck alive in the St. Louis zone and holding off three Blues players before finding Rielly to trigger the game-ending play.
“Oh, I mentioned it to the team, because that’s what he’s all about,” Berube said. “And that play there symbolizes John Tavares.”
The Maple Leafs’ recent procession to the infirmary showed little sign of abating before the game. Already without three of its top-four centres – captain Auston Matthews, Nicolas Roy and Scott Laughton – the team is also missing top-tier defencemen Chris Tanev and Brandon Carlo, and No. 1 goaltender Anthony Stolarz.
Leafs GM Treliving wants to see his inconsistent team find a way to connect
Although general manager Brad Treliving said the team would not use the injuries as an excuse for the team’s poor start to the season – terming such talk part of a “losing mentality” during an availability – that was before first-line left winger Matthew Knies begged out of Tuesday’s game following the morning skate. He’s now day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
So with a patchwork lineup – centre Jacob Quillan was called up from the American Hockey League Marlies Monday to play his second career NHL game – and waiver pickup Troy Stecher making his Leafs debut – his seventh different NHL team – Toronto took to the ice Tuesday night.
That the Leafs managed to find a way to win, battling back from the early Nylander own goal, and ultimately getting pushed to overtime by a team that’s plumbing the depths of the Western Conference basement, says a lot about the resilience of this group.
“It’s no secret how big that one was for our group,” said Steven Lorentz, who put the Leafs in front in the second period with his second of the year. “Everyone knows what’s going on. It hasn’t been the greatest little stretch here for us.
“But carving out a win like that one tonight, especially with so many guys out, it’s definitely a vote of confidence for our group.”
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Joseph Woll makes a save as St. Louis Blues’ Dylan Holloway looks on during third period action on Tuesday.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
Joseph Woll, in just his second start of the season following his personal leave of absence, made 27 saves on 29 shots to pick up his first win since April 17 against Detroit.
As Jake McCabe, who tied the score in the first period with his third goal of the season, put it though, this victory needs to just be the start of the recovery for a team that won the Atlantic Division last year.
“Just relief,” the defenceman said. “Doesn’t mean much. I mean, we still got a long way to go here to keep building our identity and building with this group.”
