The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Ottawa Senators 6-4 on Saturday night. During the second period, William Nylander got injured on what seemed to be a harmless play with Artem Zub behind the Senators' bench. Nylander did not return to the Maple Leafs bench for the third period.
Maple Leafs dodge a bullet
Craig Berube gave a positive message after the game, regarding Nylander, saying that he will travel with the Leafs to Detroit for Sunday night's matchup against the Red Wings. The Leafs are not certain if he will play Sunday, as they will wait to see how he is feeling. It's unknown how the injury occurred and what truly caused it, but the Maple Leafs could have gotten terrible news going forward, especially for a team crawling back into the playoff circle. The Swedish native missed time earlier this season with a lower-body injury.
🎙️ | Craig Berube | Post Game vs. Ottawa Senators | Dec 27 pic.twitter.com/XJGh4J9vsK
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) December 28, 2025
William Nylander has played a vital role for the Maple Leafs this season. He is their leading scorer with 14 goals and 27 assists for 41 points. The Maple Leafs as a whole have struggled to win games, their stars haven't been performing to what they are capable of, and there have been lots of inconsistencies throughout their lineup. If Nylander is not able to play on Sunday, we could see the return of Easton Cowan in the lineup. Cowan has been scratched for the last three contests.
Finding his way
Nylander has struggled over December, but he looks to have found his groove once again with three goals in his last two games. Nylander was held scoreless this month until their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he found the back of the net twice.
The Maple Leafs are entering a crucial stretch of their schedule as they prepare to face a heavy slate of Eastern Conference opponents. These matchups will have a direct impact on the playoff race, and any bad stretch of hockey over the next few weeks could end Toronto’s postseason hopes. With the margin for error already slim, the Leafs cannot afford to give points away to teams they are chasing in the standings. If William Nylander is forced to miss time during this stretch, the challenge becomes even harder. Losing a key offensive player in such an important stretch moment could leave the Maple Leafs without enough talent to beat the teams they are chasing. It looks as though the Maple Leafs may have dodged a bullet with Nylander's injury.