William is Keeping the “Nylanderthals” Quiet with His Stellar Playoff Scoring

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ William Nylander’s is exploding in the playoffs. What’s changed for him?

By scoring a goal in every game of this playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, Nylander has risen to the occasion and to the task. In fact, the entire Maple Leafs’ team is working together to win for “Johnny” Tavares.

Related: Keefe Helped Spezza Find Success: Spezza Found It Amazingly Well

In the video below, Sportsnet’s Faizal Khamisa and Luke Fox discuss the factors leading to Nylander’s early playoff success.

What Key Points Did Fox Make About Nylander’s Playoff Production?

During the interview, Fox made a number of key points about Nylander’s postseason play.

Point #1: Nylander’s Goal Total

William Nylander has as many goals as the Montreal Canadiens. That’s a bit surprising because the center he played with during the season – John Tavares – was injured early in game one.

Point #2: Nylander’s Leadership is Growing

Nylander has been absolutely phenomenal both on and off the ice. His leadership is growing. After Game 4, during a post-game interview Jason Spezza said that Nylander’s been more vocal on the bench; he’s been a real leader; and, he’s stepped up ever since Tavares went down.

Specifically, Spezza said “He’s more vocal on the bench. You can tell he’s really taken a leadership role with John down. He’s stepped up, and he’s showed a lot of determination. His board battles have been second to none on our team. And he’s showing poise with the puck, which is hard to do at this time of year.”

Point #3: Nylander’s Growing into a Leadership Role

Fox noted that during the time he’s been following this team – ever since “Willie was a rookie – no one’s ever really extolled his leadership values.” That’s changing.

Point #4: Nylander Is Now Driving the Second Line’s Play

Fox noted that Nylander’s taken it upon himself to drive the second line. That’s a positive change. It used to be Tavares’ line and Tavares was the focal point, but “now it’s William Nylander. And, it’s a positive development that Nylander is finding his voice with the team.”

Point #5: Head Coach Sheldon Keefe Has Handled Nylander Well During this Interesting Season

Sheldon Keefe has handled Nylander differently. Fox noted that it’s been a really interesting year for Nylander who “was benched very publicly towards the end of a win against the Montreal Canadiens. Keefe also called Nylander out for missing a meeting and not paying attention to his emails.” But Nylander has really responded well.

Point #6: Keefe and Nylander’s Relationship Has Grown Over a Long Time Frame

Keefe and Nylander go all the way back to their Toronto Marlies’ days. Fox speculated that it feels like Keefe is a coach who knows what buttons to press with Nylander, who has “responded immaculately.”

Point #7: Nylander’s Narrative Is Changing

The “Nylanderthals” have been quiet lately because Nylander has been so productive. That’s changing the narrative. However, Nylander has been productive at almost a point-a-game since late in the season. Now he’s shining on the bigger playoff stage. The story line has been changing throughout the season.

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Point #8: Nylander’s Confidence Is Turning into Productivity

Nylander is a player who is exceedingly confident, and now he’s becoming a player who can dominate a game when it matters most.  Nylander’s stepped up when one of his line mates have gone down. As Fox noted, “it’s nice to see a player step up when one of his line mates go down.”