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Toronto Maple Leafs: William Nylander’s Top Goals

By Andrew Boehmer

Feb 21, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs center William Nylander (29) skates with the puck against the Winnipeg Jets at Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs beat the Jets 5-4 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 21, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs center William Nylander (29) skates with the puck against the Winnipeg Jets at Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs beat the Jets 5-4 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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1. v. Arizona Coyotes

*I’m not crying, it’s just my allergies.* Did you just see that? Nylander comes soaring over the blue line on the right side with Oliver Ekman-Larsson chopping at him. He’s not phased.

Besides James van Riemsdyk, Nylander may be the best player on the team when he’s in that tight on the net.

A few strides before closing in on Mike Smith, he lets up a bit to allow him to try something creative. And, he delivers. Nylander digs his left skates edge into the ice to use his stick as a fulcrum, lifting the puck up. His speed forces Smith to try the fabled two pad stack. Poor choice mister full-ice five-hole.

Somehow, Nylander is able to get the puck up and over Smith. Look how tight he is around the crease. The ability to lift the puck up that fast on the backhand is a skill very few players in the world possess.

And, he’s just a rookie. By far, Nylander’s best goal in the NHL.

It reminds me of a shootout goal scored by Linus Omark of Sweden, which was later replicated by Pavel Datsyuk in the NHL. The biggest difference being that it was lifted in on the forehand in both of these cases. Not to mention that these goals were both scored in a shootout.

Bonus

I’m glad you stuck around for the bonus video. This one’s special. In this clip, we see Matthews win the draw resulting in Leafs puck possession. Or puck dominance. But, I’ll let you see for yourself.

The loose puck is gathered up by Nylander who makes a few nifty moves around the defenders. He dishes the puck to Zach Hyman behind the net and gets the puck right back after being knocked down.

A couple of dipsy doodles later, the puck finds itself on the stick of Matthews who does some moves of his own. They then combine for a pretty nice give and go.

It appears that they both like skating with the puck on that side wall. Go figure.

Matthews is in scoring position for the first time in this sequence. His body posture is angled towards the net. Nylander notices this and dishes the puck to him as Matthews lets the puck loose.

The two took a faceoff win and made it into a gorgeous play. Each twisting and turning away from the opposition, fighting for room. In the end, the Leafs score. What incredible footwork, stickhandling, and teamwork for an incredible goal.

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