Maple Leafs' Nylander misses Game 1 loss to Bruins
The Toronto Maple Leafs were without star winger William Nylander for their 5-1 defeat to the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of their first-round series Saturday night.
The 27-year-old experienced some discomfort when he woke up Thursday, one day after the Leafs' final regular-season game, reports TSN's Chris Johnston.
Nylander didn't attend Friday's practice or Saturday's optional morning skate.
He skated in all 82 games for Toronto this campaign, registering 40 goals and a career-high 98 points. He represented the Maple Leafs at the 2024 All-Star Game in February for the first time in his career.
This was just the second time Nylander has missed a game because of an injury in his nine-year NHL career. He sat out of a clash against the Washington Capitals in November 2016 with an upper-body ailment.
Nylander has posted 40 points (17 goals, 23 assists) in 50 playoff games since his debut in 2015-16, good for the third most on the team behind Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.
He put up two goals and seven points in 14 games during two previous playoff series against the Bruins in 2018 and 2019.
Bobby McMann also sat out Game 1 for the Maple Leafs on Saturday. He missed the final two contests in the regular season with what the club called a lower-body injury.