William Nylander reflects on setting historic Maple Leafs milestone

By Ankit Kumar

Modified Apr 05, 2024 22:04 GMT

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Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander recently etched his name into the team's history books by surpassing a longstanding record set by former captain Mats Sundin. Nylander has become the highest-scoring Swedish-born Leaf in team history with 95 points this season.

William Nylander reached the milestone on March 30 by notching an assist in a victory over the Sabres, elevating his season point total to 95 points. This feat surpassed Sundin's record of 94 points, set during the 1996-97 NHL season.

Nylander's exceptional performance this season has been a career high offensively. He has contributed to the Maple Leafs' win on several occasions and has scored 40 goals and 55 assists in 75 games.

In a recent interview, William Nylander hailed Sundin as a legend and recalled being in his company.

"Really cool. Sundin is an incredible legend," Nylander said. "I remember being a kid and the summer skates that my dad would go to, and Mats would be there, and he's just a great guy."

Over his NHL career spanning 596 games, Nylander has amassed an impressive 217 goals and 308 assists, totaling 525 points.

William Nylander couldn't rescue Leafs from 4-1 loss against Lightning

Andrei Vasilevskiy's 28 saves propelled the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 4-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday, despite Auston Matthews scoring his 63rd goal of the season.

Tampa Bay's goals came from Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Brayden Point and Nicholas Paul. Nikita Kucherov, tied with Nathan MacKinnon for the league lead with 127 points, contributed three assists.

The Lightning, closing in on the Leafs for third in the Atlantic Division, have Vasilevskiy's improvement post-back surgery to thank for their recent success.

On the other hand, Toronto's Joseph Woll's 21 saves couldn't prevent the Leafs' three-game winning streak from being snapped.

After the match, Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said:

“We made a few more mistakes than they did. They played a really good, smart defensive game.”

The Maple Leafs trail the Florida Panthers by four points. Matthews' 63rd goal, nearing a historic milestone, has garnered attention and support from his teammates. Ryan Reaves' fight with Tanner Jeannot aimed to energize the Leafs.

William Nylander and the Leafs will face Montreal next. Despite the loss, Matthews' remarkable season and the team's resilience remain focal points as they push toward the playoffs.

The Maple Leafs are currently third in the Atlantic Division, behind the Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers with 95 points. They currently have a 43-23-9 record this season.