The Toronto Maple Leafs have been on a roll lately, having won four of their past five games to improve their season record to 14-11-4. During that stretch, Toronto has outscored their opponents 19-6 backed by some solid defense and goaltending in the process. In doing so, the Maple Leafs have pulled to within three points of a playoff spot and five points from the Atlantic Division lead in the standings.
However, despite the recent success and uptick in play, the Leafs made a surprising move in preparation for their match against the San Jose Sharks. Team-leading scorer William Nylander was seen skating on the third line with Dakota Joshua and Nicolas Roy during practice on Wednesday, as it appears he will be deployed in such a way when the puck drops on Thursday night.
William Nylander is down on the Leafs' third line
Nylander had been the main driving force of the Leafs’ offense this season, tallying 11 goals, 21 assists for 32 points in 25 games played while averaging close to 20 minutes of ice time per night. The elite winger has also notched five power play points and two game-winning goals on the season to help keep Toronto afloat in the playoff picture in the crowded Eastern Conference.
However, Nylander has gone pointless in his last four games, the longest streak in which he has gone without a point this season, while registering just a feeble five shots on goal. Being on the same line as John Tavares and Easton Cowan undoubtedly would lead to some defensive deficiencies and less grit as a unit. Nevertheless, at least one would expect elite scoring chances and offense would help offset it considerably.
But if the offensive part of their game isn’t clicking as well, equipping Nylander with some new linemates that could crash and bang the net while being stronger defensively could provide the spark needed to get the star winger back on track. Especially with Joshua and Roy playing better of late and making contributions offensively as well, they could potentially be a surprising strong yet balanced unit.
In terms of Nylander’s replacement on the second line, Nick Robertson appears to be the one drawing back in with the assignment after being healthy scratched on Monday. Given another chance in the top six, it will be up to Robertson to instill confidence and prove once again that he is worthy of such a prime spot going forward.
As for Nylander, how long he stays on the third line will ultimately be up to Leafs head coach Craig Berube. Will it be just one game, or even one shift? Nobody knows. But no matter what, if it can help Toronto to more victories, we are here for it.