The Toronto Maple Leafs are down two players following their overtime win against the Boston Bruins. William Nylander and Chris Tanev did not finish the game, both struggling with different injuries. The franchise itself does not seem all too concerned with either injury.
Tanev took a hard hit from the Boston Bruins’ John Beecher during his second shift of the game. He immediately left the ice and did not return to finish the game. It was later released that he is dealing with an upper-body injury. He was being evaluated further today, however no new updates have been released about his condition. He is now listed as day-to-day while we wait for an update.
Tanev has been a great defenseman for the Maple Leafs. He has been one of the most reliable players in any situation. He has averaged around 20 minutes on the ice per game and has 151 blocked shots. He has only missed one game this season and this injury does not look promising. He was seen leaving the Boston TD Garden with his arm in a sling.
Tanev has been with the league since he signed over the off-season in July. He has 17 points this season with 30 shots on goal.
Nylander played the majority of the game but did not play in overtime. He appeared on the Leafs bench with his glove off and clutching his wrist. He played 21:21 in the game before pulling himself in the end. Head Coach Craig Berube gave a vague update, mentioning that he was hurting and for that did not play.
Like Tanev, Nylander has been one of the most consistent players on the roster. He has played in 58 games this season with 58 points. He is the second-highest-scoring player on the Leafs behind Mitch Marner. He has played in 661 games for the franchise throughout his career, barely taking games off. This season alone, he has 190 shots on goal which is far below his previous season.
Nylander is also returning from the Four Nations Tournament where he played for Team Sweden. He had two assists and had three shots on goal in three games played. His performance on the ice is not what we typically see when he is playing for Toronto. He battled for the puck and did not get as many breakaways as he was used to. He helped make dynamic plays for his teammates, setting them up for shooting chances.
The Maple Leafs play again on Friday against the New York Rangers. It is unlikely that Tanev will be in the lineup at this time. Nylander could be an option to suit up on Friday, but the results of his evaluation are still not released.
The Maple Leafs are sitting in first in the Atlantic Division with 74 points. They are one point ahead of the prior Stanley Cup Champions. Their record this season is 36-20-2 in 58 games. Last season on this date they were sitting third in their division with the same number of points. They finished their regular season with 102 points, not moving past the third-place spot.
They have made major strides compared to last season to now. They are sitting in a playoff spot, further up the list this time. However, late-season injuries, minor or not, could affect their performance from here on out. They are barely leading their division by one point and can easily drop in standings if are not careful.
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