Nylander focused after avoiding sweep: 'It's going to take even more'
William Nylander knows the Toronto Maple Leafs' job is far from over after they narrowly avoided being swept by the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night.
"It's going to take even more than it did tonight, but I think winning one here is obviously a step on the way," the winger said postgame when looking ahead to Game 5. "Don't want to get too high, it's just one win. We've got a long ways to go."
He added: "If we battle, we have a chance against these guys."
After facing criticism for their quiet series so far, two of Toronto's "Core Four" forwards had a big night in the 2-1 Game 4 win. Nylander opened the scoring with a power-play marker in the middle frame for his first goal since Game 2 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, while Mitch Marner also collected his first tally of the series with the eventual game-winner in the third period.
Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe lauded the victory as his team's "best effort of the season." Toronto blocked 21 shots in the contest, with forwards Auston Matthews and Noel Acciari leading the way with three apiece.
Keefe was particularly pleased with the way his key players rebounded from a weak showing in Game 3.
"The first thing is that they care, they care deeply," he said. "Because of that, you give that type of effort. They didn't want to go quietly, and that's what we've been talking about. We were going to leave it all out there here today.
"Of course, from the coach side of it, now you look and say, 'That's the standard. That's what we've been trying to get to, that is what's required.' So, we can't have any letup in that regard."
Maple Leafs netminder Joseph Woll made 24 stops in his first career playoff start and saved 1.33 goals above expected at all strengths, according to Natural Stat Trick. The rookie's poised play didn't go unnoticed by Keefe.
"Our team in front of him gave him every opportunity for success today with how they competed in front of him. ... Anything that did get through, he looked really confident and in control," he said.
Puck drop is set for Game 5 on Friday at 7 p.m. ET in Toronto.