RICK VAIVE: William Nylander raising his game with Auston Matthews out

The Toronto Sun welcomes former Toronto captain and three-time 50-goal winger Rick Vaive to our 2024 Maple Leafs playoff coverage.  

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Rick will break down each game in the Toronto-Boston series, today reviewing Game 6.

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I'm not sure how long William Nylander would've lasted in my era of the NHL with all the hooking, holding and checking.

But as one right winger to another, there's no question he has off-the-chart talents for the way the game is played today.

His team is missing the best scorer on the planet in Auston Matthews and he comes through with two goals in Game 6, one kind of flukey, but the other set up by Matthew Knies was great. Knies makes a spin move, takes a hit and gives Nylander a breakaway.

It was still a strange game with no goals for so long. Maybe the fans were thinking something bad would happen to the Leafs like it has in a lot of recent home playoff games. Then Nylander does his thing.

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I'd like to see Nylander throw a few more hits in a series where everyone else seems to be doing it. He did get in that good one on Bruins defenceman Parker Wotherspoon. That sure got the announcers really excited, and Willy got credit for another hit later. It's great to see him bringing it at this time of year. Players like him train all summer for this, far more than we did in the 1980s.

I keep coming back to the way Joseph Woll has stepped into this series and played so calm and collected in net. I just wish the guys could've got him that shutout with just a tenth of a second to go, but I don't think something like that is going to bother him.

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His defencemen were physical and play with passion and once more the forwards came back to help them a lot, so Boston's chances were reduced. The Leafs didn't have to kill a lot of penalties, which makes up a bit for not scoring on their own power play.

So, who out there is up for Game 7? I know there's a lot of concern about Toronto's record in that area, that Boston has already beaten them in Game 7 the last three times. However, I'm sure it's going through Boston's mind, too, that they lost in seven to Florida last year when up 3-1.

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Records like that tend to be something players will dwell on before a game, but once the puck drops, we're too caught up in the moment to worry — unless you get down early by a goal.

I'm sure the Leafs would like to have Auston back for this one, but based on his limited practice, that likely won't happen. I'm as curious as anyone to find out what's been bothering him. A flu kind of sickness wouldn't keep him out this long, so you're wondering if there's something to the rumours about a leg injury, concussion or whatever.

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But credit to the Leafs, to have won two very close games without him to make this a series.

— Vaive was captain of the Leafs for four years in the early 1980s, played 16 NHL and WHA seasons, is author of Catch 22, My Battles in Hockey and Life, and can be heard on the Squid and The Ultimate Leafs Fan podcast with Mike Wilson and special guests. 

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