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Maple Leafs’ William Nylander gets eye-opening Craig Berbue claim amid Panthers series

Originally posted on NHL on ClutchPoints
By Tristin McKinstry | Last updated May 8, 2025 10:03 PM ET

The Toronto Maple Leafs lead the Florida Panthers 2-0 in their second-round series in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Toronto has received some major performances in the postseason this year. However, no one among Craig Berube’s men has stepped up in the manner that winger William Nylander has.

Nylander has five goals over his last three games. This includes a two-goal performance in Game 1 against the Panthers. He also scored in Game 2, drawing Toronto back level and making it a 2-2 game at the time. He is the first Maple Leafs player with five goals in three playoff games since Alexander Mogilny in 2003. Berube recently spoke about what makes Nylander so dominant in these situations.

“Nothing gets to him,” the Maple Leafs coach said, via NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger. “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. He thrives on this stuff, in my opinion, and he looks forward to it, and he wants to be in all those critical situations. When he smells something, he’s there. He has great, great skill with his hands. He has unreal hands and the ability on his skates, just cutbacks and all that, it’s a high-end player, he really is.”

William Nylander leading Maple Leafs through Panthers series

Toronto Maple Leafs right wing William Nylander (88) skates with the puck in game six of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

Nylander’s recent run has helped him pace his teammates on the stat sheet. His six goals and 13 points are among the team leaders. In fact, no player on the Maple Leafs has 10 points in these Stanley Cup Playoffs. Moreover, only Matthew Knies has more than three goals this postseason.

In saying this, the Maple Leafs star knows this is not going to be easy. The Panthers are one of the toughest teams to play in the NHL. They are also the defending Stanley Cup champions. Toronto is half way to the Eastern Conference Final, but the work is far from over in this series.

“It’s tough to play Florida,” Nylander said, via Zeisberger. “I mean, they are a great team. That next game is going to be a huge battle. Every game has been tight, so that next game is going to be our focus. They play an aggressive game and they’re really good at it. I think we’ve gotten some bounces that have gone our way. That’s what happens sometimes.”

This article first appeared on NHL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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