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TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

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TORONTO — William Nylander knows when to pick his moment. And it’s happening right now. 

Following the loss of his linemate John Tavares to a concussion and knee injury in Game 1 of Toronto’s first-round playoff series against Montreal last Thursday, Nylander has stepped up with some of his best hockey. The winger scored Toronto's only goal in a 2-1 defeat in Game 1, and then added another goal and an assist in Saturday’s 5-1 win in Game 2. 

As the series shifts to Montreal for Game 3 on Monday, Nylander’s teammates are wholly impressed at how he’s been rising to the occasion with Tavares out of the lineup indefinitely. 

“When Willy is playing his game, he's one of the best players in the world,” said Zach Hyman after the Leafs’ morning skate on Monday.

“There's no question he's a dynamic player and someone who brings a ton to our team. He's producing right now, which is huge for us. It's great to see.”

With Tavares unavailable, Nylander is now part of a retooled second line centred by Nick Foligno and with Alex Galchenyuk on the other wing. Nylander essentially played this entire season with Tavares, and knows making up for his absence won’t be easy. But the Leafs challenged one another to step up, and Nylander’s been trying to oblige. 

“It's tough to lose a guy like that who's meant a lot to myself and who I've learned a lot from,” Nylander said on Saturday. “We want to get together here and win [these] games for John and hopefully he can get back and play later on. It's tough not having him there because of how big he is for our line, but I just try to play the same way and create scoring chances.”

Through two playoff games, Nylander is leading the Leafs with two goals and tied with Auston Matthews for most points at three. Nylander has also been credited with the second-most takeaways on the team at four. 

But it’s not so much the stats that have Nylander jumping off the page. It’s the way he’s battling on the ice. Nylander is often criticized for his defensive inconsistency and lack of physical presence offensively, and the winger has improved upon both aspects early in this postseason. 

“He's played extremely well,” said coach Sheldon Keefe. “He’s been on the puck, he's been looking to make plays and make a difference. I've liked a lot about his game. He's been really engaged on both sides of the puck and that's been good to see. He’s made a mark in both games to me and has shown very well, so his confidence should be real high right now coming into this game tonight.”

Keefe thought Nylander's line eventually found its footing as a group on Saturday as well, after weathering a rocky start. 

"They were on the ice for the goal-against [by Jesperi Kotkaniemi] in that first period, but I thought as the game got moving those guys were good," said Keefe. "They did a good job. They had some good opportunities, and they had some good pressure in the offensive zone." 

Nylander has also helped spark some more optimism in Toronto’s flailing power play. The Leafs have been abysmal with the extra man since mid-March, entering the postseason on a 5-for-73 run (6.9 per cent) in their final 29 games. After going 0-for-4 with the extra man in Game 1, Nylander scored one of two power-play goals for the Leafs in Game 2 to give that unit a much-needed boost. 

“[Nylander] looks very driven right now,” said Joe Thornton. “He’s just so strong, he’s got an incredible shot and he’s a great skater. It’s been great to see, and it’s fun to watch him.”

The Leafs will try to keep their positive momentum rolling now into Monday’s Game 3. While Foligno was absent from the team’s morning skate for undisclosed reasons, Keefe confirmed he will play against Montreal. And as the Canadiens look to get back on a winning track, Cole Caufield has been tapped to make his NHL postseason debut. 

Montreal has scored the first goal in both games to start this series, a pattern the Leafs don’t want to see continue. But they are fully expecting a motivated - not to mention hard-hitting - Canadiens group to greet them for Game 3. 

Montreal is already second in Hits/60 (49.50) among the NHL’s playoff field, and Toronto anticipates the Canadiens will be even more energized back on their home turf for this upcoming back-to-back set of games.

“They always come out strong,” said Hyman. “I expect no different tonight, especially coming off a loss. You always want to respond, so I'm sure that they have that mentality and we have to be ready for that, especially in this building. Even though there are no fans, they're still at home and they play well in this building so we've got to be ready for a big test tonight."