The Toronto Maple Leafs have a special player on their hands as William Nylander continues to deliver big goals in big moments in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
However, the way some talked in Round 1, you would think that Nylander would not show up in the playoffs for the Maple Leafs. As Mike Rupp of NHL Network stated before Game 6 against the Senators, Nylander needed to show more of a killer instinct in these close-out situations, which makes him question whether he can get it done in the playoffs.
There’s a couple things, though, that jumped out to me that I’m starting to question that, and I want to say this, and I don’t want to call out Willie Nylander out but the short handed goal against this body language, it stunk. It stunk. And at some point, like this guy can run this league, like he could run this league,” Rupp said on NHL Network. “He’s that talented, but he doesn’t have that killer instinct. And we’ve talked about Auston Matthews in this same situations in Game 7s. And you go back and look at those numbers, doesn’t have that Killer Instinct. At some point you need to lead lead these guys in this situation. And that’s my thing, I thought he was different. I’ve watched him be different over the last couple years.
Now, Rupp was referring to Game 5 of that series against Ottawa. But to be fair to Nylander, the entire Maple Leafs team stunk in Game 5. However, Nylander had been the best player for the Maple Leafs in the playoffs dating back to when this “Core Four or Five” was put together.
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During the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Nylander had three goals in the series’ final two games, including two in an elimination game in Game 6 against the Boston Bruins. He also scored the lone goal for the Maple Leafs in Game 7. Nylander could deliver for Toronto in the big moments even after missing the series’ first three games.
If you look at his numbers from the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs through this current Maple Leafs run, Nylander has only gotten better and better. He has delivered the goods for Toronto despite the team only having one playoff series win until this year. Over that span, playing in 62 playoff games, he has recorded 56 points (26 goals and 30 assists). That’s .90 points per game.
In eight playoff games with the Maple Leafs this season, Nylander has 13 points (six goals and seven assists). Nylander is averaging 1.625 points per game and coming up clutch in the big moments when his team needs a goal.
Over the last three games, Nylander has recorded five goals, including back-to-back two-goal performances in Game 6 against the Senators, where the Maple Leafs advanced to the second round for the second time since 2004. He then had a two-goal effort against the Florida Panthers in Game 1, where the Maple Leafs held on to win 5-4.
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Nylander followed that up with a magnificent goal on a beautiful pass from Max Pacioretty.
William Nylander scores his 26th career playoff goal, tied for 5th in Maple Leafs history pic.twitter.com/nIJPwzUvmW
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) May 8, 2025
As James Mirtle of The Athletic noted on Sportsnet Radio in Toronto, “the last five post-seasons, Nylander is second only to Nathan MacKinnon in goals per game in the playoffs. He has more goals (per game) than Draisaitl over the past five post-seasons. Now he has played fewer games, but still Nylander has scored a lot goals in the playoffs.”
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So all the talk about him not having a killer instinct or not delivering in the playoffs for the Toronto Maple Leafs is just wrong. Even William Nylander’s head coach, Craig Berube, has no words to describe his play in the playoffs. As Berube states, Nylander does not feel pressure.
I learned, oh, well, nothing gets to him. I mean, I think of anything like he doesn’t feel, pressure and I could be wrong, but this is what I see. There’s no too big a stage for this guy,” Berube told the media post-game following Game 2. Like he thrives on this stuff, in my opinion, and he looks forward to it, and he wants to be in all those critical situations. And when he smells something, he there. That goal is just, that’s as high end as it can get, in my opinion, with hands. He has great, great skill with his hands. He’s unreal hands, he has and ability on his skates and, just cut backs and all that. It’s a high end player. He really is, I mean, and I don’t think that he feels pressure or anything like that. He just plays, and he doesn’t want me to talk to him. So let’s leave him alone. I probably should just leave him alone.
So, to say William Nylander does not have a killer instinct would be wrong. Now, we all know how TV works. The way to get people talking is to create controversy. However, it is clear that Nylander loves the big stage of the playoffs for the Toronto Maple Leafs and thrives in the spotlight.
There is a reason he signed an eight-year extension to remain in a Maple Leafs uniform. He was built to play in Toronto during the big moments of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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