Maple Leafs’ William Nylander gets real amid concerns about Panthers series collapse

The Toronto Maple Leafs had a 2-1 lead entering Game 4 of their second-round series against the Florida Panthers. Florida star Brad Marchand crushed Toronto in Game 3 with an overtime winning goal. William Nylander and company hoped for a bounce-back on Sunday night, but victory was simply not on the cards for this team.

The Panthers drew first blood with a goal in the first period. They maintained this 1-0 lead for much of the game, as well. Toronto tried their best to solve Sergei Bobrovsky. But Florida didn’t allow the Maple Leafs to get many shots through, let alone goals. In the end, the Panthers claimed victory by a 2-0 scoreline. And this series is all tied up at two games apiece.

This is certainly a worrying sign for Toronto fans. They have seen this team collapse despite having chances to advance in previous years. And they fear this is another example of that trend. Nylander, though, is not panicking. “I mean 2-2, it’s going to be a long series. That’s where our mind’s at,” the Maple Leafs star said, via The Athletic’s Chris Johntson.

Nylander made a major impact in the first two games of this series. He had three goals and four points in those first two contests. After the series shifted to Florida, though, the Panthers did well to minimize his impact. Nylander has two points — both assists — in these last two games. None of these points came in Game 4 as the Maple Leafs were shutout.

Toronto did slip a bit in their first-round series against the Ottawa Senators, to be fair. Toronto took a 3-0 series lead before dropping the next two games. The Maple Leafs could certainly win the next two games in this series to advance. However, the Panthers are the defending Stanley Cup champions for a reason. This series is heading for a dynamic conclusion, and it will be a conclusion fans certainly won’t want to miss.