TORONTO — What’s a bigger mystery heading into each game of the first-round playoff series between the Bruins and Maple Leafs: Who is starting in goal for Boston or will William Nylander play for Toronto?
Both have generated lots of questions and few answers before pregame warmups.
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In Canada, hockey is king and in Toronto, it’s an obsession so Nylander’s status has been the source of considerable speculation as the Leafs haven’t revealed why he hasn’t played yet. It’s presumed to be an injury, but even that hasn’t been made completely clear.
Nylander who had 40 goals and 58 assists while playing all 82 regular season games, practiced on Friday. He spoke to the media afterward but declined to clear anything up.
“It’s personal so I’m not going to get into that,” said Nylander, who wouldn’t update his Saturday status. “Am I playing? I don’t know. We’ll see.
“I’m feeling great,” he added. “The games are crazy to watch. I’ve never been so nervous in my life. … To miss these first games in the playoffs is tough. This is the time you want to play. Hopefully, I’m back soon.”
Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe offered few clues.
“He looked great to me on the ice,” Keefe said. “In terms of his status? We’ll have to determine that tomorrow. … He’s a very important player for us in many regards. Getting him back would be important. Getting him back in full health and making sure’s he ready to step into a series of this magnitude would be the next step.”
The Leafs do expect Ilya Lyubushkin back for the Game 4. He flew to Anaheim to be at the birth of his daughter.
