Nylander’s edge in offensive zone key to dominant start to season
Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe doesn’t flinch when William Nylander gathers the puck at the opposition’s blue-line and surveys the
offensive zone landscape.
been able to put a lid on the 27-year-old right-winger once he winds up high in the offensive zone.
following their two-win trek in Sweden. “Not many players can play there and thrive because there’s risks that come with it. You turn
the puck over in that space and it’s a pretty dangerous opportunity going the other way.
“You have to find the timing, find the pocket and then you have to be able to usually evade a check. And that’s what he does really well.
Mitch (Marner) is also good at that, when guys come to close on him, he’s comfortable challenging one on one and protecting the puck
and getting it into safety, if not into an area where we can generate a scoring chance.”
With 27 points in 17 games, Nylander was tied for sixth in NHL scoring before the league’s 14-game schedule got underway on
Wednesday. If Nylander records a point in the Leafs’ next game on Friday afternoon in Chicago against the Blackhawks, he will
become the first active player to start a season with a point in 18 consecutive games. That would also tie Darryl Sittler (1977-78) and
Ed Olczyk (1989-90) for the second-longest point streak in club history.
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