BOSTON -- Maple Leafs forward William Nylander will miss Game 2 of Toronto's first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Bruins on Monday with an undisclosed injury.
He also sat out Saturday's Game 1 -- a 5-1 Toronto loss -- because of the same ailment. While Toronto hasn't revealed what Nylander is dealing with, it's reported to have flared up for the winger sometime after the Leafs' regular-season finale Wednesday.
Toronto remained hopeful Nylander could return Monday, though. He participated in the team's full morning skate at TD Garden prior to Game 2 -- albeit without taking line rushes or joining special teams drills -- and coach Sheldon Keefe said afterward, "We'll see how he feels here the rest of the day and make a decision from there."
This is the first stretch of games Nylander has missed because of an injury since the 2016-17 season. He is the only Toronto player to have appeared in all 82 games this regular season, and the season was one of his best -- Nylander posted a career-high 98 points and a fourth consecutive 40-goal effort.
He also has been one of their most consistent playoff performers and helped Toronto advance to the second round for the first time in two decades with four goals and 10 points in 11 postseason tilts.
Now the Leafs will once again turn to rookie Nick Robertson as Nylander's replacement in the lineup. Robertson, 22, took over a third-line spot in Saturday's loss, for his first NHL postseason action since 2020. Toronto also will stick with the same defensive group following Saturday's lopsided result, leaving veteran TJ Brodie on the outside looking in.
Boston, on the other hand, did make a change, starting Linus Ullmark over Jeremy Swayman. The Bruins topped the Leafs in large part Saturday because of how well Swayman performed making 35 saves in the Bruins' win. Coach Jim Montgomery still would not commit to Swayman before Game 2 and said his club would be "confident" going with Ullmark, keeping alive the goalie rotation Boston has been using since February.
The Bruins go into Monday's game having won five straight games over the Leafs, without trailing in any of those outings.