Can Nylander crack 90 pts this season?

[Gilmour1996]

If I was coach, I'd say to the group at practice that "some of the guys that look like they need a break to get back to where we need them to be will be sitting out the odd game till the playoffs". Put Nylander on that list. But give him some company.

As far as the playoffs go, what I remember most strongly are his fly-by stick checks, avoiding blocking shots and some giveaways.

 

[ZEBROA]

Still think he would reach 90 on Matthews wing, but a lot more important, get more wins. Matthews would have less points Marner would maby have less points. The team would have more wins IMO. I dont know, but i think wins are more important then induvidual points.

 

[notDatsyuk]

there's a few stats i just hate , including the ones being currently discussed here but the quality of competition premise is so misleading . Tougher matchups if you mean playing head to head against 1st lines are much different in many cases than going head to head with the with the opposing shut down lines who's only goal is to shut down your top line . This is even more of a case on defence pairs . Top pairing d may very well not be the best shut down pair that are going to draw the assigmements of shutting down the best players . In your example that's the point . Tavares line is ging to be be facing the top offensive units because teams would be comfortable trading chances with that line and taking advantage that neither player is particularly strong defensively and Tavares himself isn't a speed demon. That's opposed to having to face Mathews / Marner combo who are both very strong defensively and offensively . The d matchups though the Mathews line is definetlely going to be facing the best defensive pairings .

All true. I wasn't suggesting that my two statements were both true at the same time. The first was a general observation about the guys scoring seeing tougher checking. Separately, and likely because they aren't scoring right now , other teams are taking advantage.

 

[keonsbitterness]

It's almost as if you have to wait for the whole 82 games before using this season as a tool to estimate a player's next contract.

Not that I have always done that.

 

[thewave]

Still think he would reach 90 on Matthews wing, but a lot more important, get more wins. Matthews would have less points Marner would maby have less points. The team would have more wins IMO. I dont know, but i think wins are more important then induvidual points.

Marner and Matthews want to be together to maximize their production and secure the best next contracts they can. Who is kidding who here? We have Muskoka 5 2.0 here and that's not going to change under Dubas or Keefe.

 

[Notsince67]

Marner and Matthews want to be together to maximize their production and secure the best next contracts they can. Who is kidding who here? We have Muskoka 5 2.0 here and that's not going to change under Dubas or Keefe.

And Nylander wants to be with Matthews for the betterment of the team?

there's a few stats i just hate , including the ones being currently discussed here but the quality of competition premise is so misleading . Tougher matchups if you mean playing head to head against 1st lines are much different in many cases than going head to head with the with the opposing shut down lines who's only goal is to shut down your top line . This is even more of a case on defence pairs . Top pairing d may very well not be the best shut down pair that are going to draw the assigmements of shutting down the best players . In your example that's the point . Tavares line is ging to be be facing the top offensive units because teams would be comfortable trading chances with that line and taking advantage that neither player is particularly strong defensively and Tavares himself isn't a speed demon. That's opposed to having to face Mathews / Marner combo who are both very strong defensively and offensively . The d matchups though the Mathews line is definetlely going to be facing the best defensive pairings .

Don't know if you are refering to xg but it is more predictive than both goals and corsi so if you hate that, you hate them all

 

[authentic]

This is opinion of nylander
Pro
Great skater
Great shot
Good hockey IQ

Con
Mediocre defensively
Disappears for far to many games
Especially with his skill
Doesn’t seem to have that drive
That is needed to reach next level
Top 10 skillset top 60 reality

Top 10 skillset is pushing it but maybe top 20. Otherwise agree with everything.

 

[DarkKnight]

Lets deal with this tidbit for a second. People love to talk about Nylander being a beast compared to Matthews and Marner in elimination games.
Look at game 6 and 7 stats of last year and say that again with a straight face given who the 2 were matched against.
In short, Nylander was barely keeping his head above water and was opportunistic which is ok against a great team. Looking at these stats, it is obvious Matthews and Marner came to play and were goalied for the most part. I really don't know what conclusion you make from this because it makes zero sense that you would infer that they should try harder. They were pretty well the best forwards on the ice.
Game 6
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Game 7
View attachment 679150

That’s really interesting, and supports my “eye test”. Should post that on the Marner thread too

 

[thewave]

And Nylander wants to be with Matthews for the betterment of the team?


Don't know if you are refering to xg but it is more predictive than both goals and corsi so if you hate that, you hate them all

Well of course but if memory serves there were leaks and all sorts of whine from the Marner camp during negotiations or shortly after about it. With so much talent I think it would be better to balance it out but hey they can always try to win that first round this year.

I am all for winning. I just hope that if losing they get to doing what needs to be done with management and the roster.

 

[Notsince67]

Well of course but if memory serves there were leaks and all sorts of whine from the Marner camp during negotiations or shortly after about it. With so much talent I think it would be better to balance it out but hey they can always try to win that first round this year.

I am all for winning. I just hope that if losing they get to doing what needs to be done with management and the roster.

If Nylander wants to help the team, he needs to get his ass moving. He doesn't hit, he doesn't block he doesn't play d and now he isn't producing much. Tavares is producing more and doesn't have Marner or Matthews helping. Calling the 2 part of the Muskoka 5 is whining to the greatest degree when they are actually playing decent hockey

 

[IPS]

Lets deal with this tidbit for a second. People love to talk about Nylander being a beast compared to Matthews and Marner in elimination games.
Look at game 6 and 7 stats of last year and say that again with a straight face given who the 2 were matched against.
In short, Nylander was barely keeping his head above water and was opportunistic which is ok against a great team. Looking at these stats, it is obvious Matthews and Marner came to play and were goalied for the most part. I really don't know what conclusion you make from this because it makes zero sense that you would infer that they should try harder. They were pretty well the best forwards on the ice.
Game 6
View attachment 679149
Game 7
View attachment 679150

"Goalie'd" lmao.

They just didn't score, and it cost the Leafs. Marner has 1 goal in all of the game 6's and 7's he's played (and the game 5 against Columbus) so it's not like he's new to not scoring in series deciding games.

 

[IPS]

Might be time to change title to "Does Nylander care about cracking 90 points in a season" cause it sure looks like he does not.

Screw it then anyway.

He's our leading scorer over the last 3 playoffs, I'd prefer he sticks to that.

 

[thewave]

If Nylander wants to help the team, he needs to get his ass moving. He doesn't hit, he doesn't block he doesn't play d and now he isn't producing much. Tavares is producing more and doesn't have Marner or Matthews helping. Calling the 2 part of the Muskoka 5 is whining to the greatest degree when they are actually playing decent hockey

Nobody here really cares what they do in the regular season if they are going to fade in the 1st round again. As @IPS recently mentioned, Nylander is the leading scorer over the last 3 playoffs.

I'll take the Rockets, want the Cup though. Don't you? It seems like you're always more invested in individuals on this team than winning. Why is that?

 

[IPS]

HF Leafs and the short memories man, I swear..

Nylander's production was being inflated by Matthews, the same Matthews who was by most of the fanbase's account struggling mightily almost all year and looked like a shell of his former self.

From the games I watched, Matthews should be the one thanking Nylander for keeping his production afloat. Up until the recent slump Nylander was right there with Marner as the Leafs' best offensive player this year.

 

[leafsfan5]

"Goalie'd" lmao.

They just didn't score, and it cost the Leafs. Marner has 1 goal in all of the game 6's and 7's he's played (and the game 5 against Columbus) so it's not like he's new to not scoring in series deciding games.

If you keep getting goalie'd, maybe it's not the goalie

Nylander scores when it matters, Matthews/Marner have struggled there. I don't care if you dominate possession and chances, did you score or no? At a certain point you need to produce

Regardless I think all our big guys will have a strong series this year, hopefully we don't have to discuss a game 6 or 7 because we deal with TB in 5

 

[Menzinger]

HF Leafs and the short memories man, I swear..

Nylander's production was being inflated by Matthews, the same Matthews who was by most of the fanbase's account struggling mightily almost all year and looked like a shell of his former self.

From the games I watched, Matthews should be the one thanking Nylander for keeping his production afloat. Up until the recent slump Nylander was right there with Marner as the Leafs' best offensive player this year.

Yep. Definitely worth noting that Matthews was suffering from his injury the most when he was playing with Nylander earlier in the season

 

[Notsince67]

Well of course but if memory serves there were leaks and all sorts of whine from the Marner camp during negotiations or shortly after about it. With so much talent I think it would be better to balance it out but hey they can always try to win that first round this year.

I am all for winning. I just hope that if losing they get to doing what needs to be done with management and the roster.

Not against balancing. Against so called fans taking shots at good players just because they're feeling a bit bitchy

"Goalie'd" lmao.

They just didn't score, and it cost the Leafs. Marner has 1 goal in all of the game 6's and 7's he's played (and the game 5 against Columbus) so it's not like he's new to not scoring in series deciding games.

You saw the stats. The pucks didn't go in. It wasn't for lack of good effort

 

[notDatsyuk]

And Nylander wants to be with Matthews for the betterment of the team?

I don't think that it's so much Nylander wanting to be with Matthews (although I'm sure he does) as a number of posters want him away from JT, as those two don't jell.

 

[ZEBROA]

I don't think that it's so much Nylander wanting to be with Matthews (although I'm sure he does) as a number of posters want him away from JT, as those two don't jell.

Exactly, i dont want him with Tavares or a third line. That means Tavares on a third line or Nylander with Matthews. Dont care what Nylander wants, i think that would be best for the team.

 

[Dekes For Days]

If you keep getting goalie'd, maybe it's not the goalie

If you get "goalied" according to the eye test and every possible measure by the exact same goalies that continue on to goalie other teams in the exact same way, it probably has a lot to do with the goalie, and not the team that's consistently proven to be one of the best converting teams in the league.

Nylander scores when it matters, Matthews/Marner have struggled there.

I'm not sure where this narrative came from. When exactly in the playoffs do things matter and not matter, and when did Nylander score "when it mattered"?

 

[Notsince67]

If you keep getting goalie'd, maybe it's not the goalie

Nylander scores when it matters, Matthews/Marner have struggled there. I don't care if you dominate possession and chances, did you score or no? At a certain point you need to produce

Regardless I think all our big guys will have a strong series this year, hopefully we don't have to discuss a game 6 or 7 because we deal with TB in 5

Sorry but this is a bullshit answer. It puts false and unreasonable accountability that means jack shit in the game of hockey except to the casuals.
Had I posted xg% for all situations on the ice on game 7 including PP and PK, Matthews moves up to 88.6% and Marner to 95%. These are crazy good numbers and the only performance we really need to talk about is the performative art that sulking fans put up to demand they ultimately should be accountable for bad luck, good goaltending and/or sub par performance elsewhere.

I put up with the stupidity of people after last year demanding Marner get traded over this. Here is the thing....without him or Matthews, this team might not be looking at the playoffs. That is how good they are.

As for Willy, I know damn well the leafs can't win in the playoffs without him playing well. He isn't right now but instead of excusing his slump as many of the Marner/Matthews bashers do, I have commented that his play has been lackluster which is supported by both the eye test and the stats. I don't need to pretend that Nylander is some playoff beast that exceeds the 2 best on the team, because he doesn't. He plays well but it's not him that Tampa is worried about and everyone here knows it.

 

[ToneDog]

Sorry but this is a bullshit answer. It puts false and unreasonable accountability that means jack shit in the game of hockey except to the casuals.
Had I posted xg% for all situations on the ice on game 7 including PP and PK, Matthews moves up to 88.6% and Marner to 95%. These are crazy good numbers and the only performance we really need to talk about is the performative art that sulking fans put up to demand they ultimately should be accountable for bad luck, good goaltending and/or sub par performance elsewhere.

I put up with the stupidity of people after last year demanding Marner get traded over this. Here is the thing....without him or Matthews, this team might not be looking at the playoffs. That is how good they are.

As for Willy, I know damn well the leafs can't win in the playoffs without him playing well. He isn't right now but instead of excusing his slump as many of the Marner/Matthews bashers do, I have commented that his play has been lackluster which is supported by both the eye test and the stats. I don't need to pretend that Nylander is some playoff beast that exceeds the 2 best on the team, because he doesn't. He plays well but it's not him that Tampa is worried about and everyone here knows it.

Agree with most of what you have said but in games they can closeout an opponent, they have not gotten it done. Marner with 3 assists in 9 games and Matty not much better. Nylander has the numbers but as you say, he is not who teams are worried about.

His lackluster play with 90 points in his grasp in a contract year is concerning. Maybe he is bored with the regular season. Only Willie knows.

 

[ACC1224]

Agree with most of what you have said but in games they can closeout an opponent, they have not gotten it done. Marner with 3 assists in 9 games and Matty not much better. Nylander has the numbers but as you say, he is not who teams are worried about.

His lackluster play with 90 points in his grasp in a contract year is concerning. Maybe he is bored with the regular season. Only Willie knows.

Maple Leafs' William Nylander looking for new ways to work out of his slump

Maple Leafs' William Nylander looking for new ways to work out of his slump

torontosun.com

As we tried to diplomatically ask Nylander about his recent lack of offence, he cut in.
“It’s dead,” Nylander said.

So how to revive it?
“I just have to stay positive,” Nylander said. “I was getting a little irritated at myself. It’s all going to work out in the end. You just got to work hard and that stuff will come.


“Sometimes when the puck is not going in or whatever, it might affect the way you think in certain situations. Skating, working hard, that’s what it comes down to.

“I couldn’t tell you what it is. Just having a few bad games and then letting that bother me a little bit too much. Just have to re-group.”

 

[Notsince67]

Agree with most of what you have said but in games they can closeout an opponent, they have not gotten it done. Marner with 3 assists in 9 games and Matty not much better. Nylander has the numbers but as you say, he is not who teams are worried about.

His lackluster play with 90 points in his grasp in a contract year is concerning. Maybe he is bored with the regular season. Only Willie knows.

I saw him talk about it. He openly admitted his play has dried up so I am sure he will refocus in the remaining games. The good news is that there is a bit of time to turn it around.

 

[leafsfan5]

If you get "goalied" according to the eye test and every possible measure by the exact same goalies that continue on to goalie other teams in the exact same way, it probably has a lot to do with the goalie, and not the team that's consistently proven to be one of the best converting teams in the league.

I'm not sure where this narrative came from. When exactly in the playoffs do things matter and not matter, and when did Nylander score "when it mattered"?

Or if it happens year after year with various different goalies and teams it requires introspection in regard to the true quality of chances or the finishing ability of the team?

When it mattered should be re-worded, I'd say Matthews has scored in instances where it matters a lot (game 5 BOS, game 5 TB, game 4 CBJ) It's when we have an opportunity to clinch and advance they're not good enough. Nylander has as many points as those 2 combined (8 points)

Sorry but this is a bullshit answer. It puts false and unreasonable accountability that means jack shit in the game of hockey except to the casuals.
Had I posted xg% for all situations on the ice on game 7 including PP and PK, Matthews moves up to 88.6% and Marner to 95%. These are crazy good numbers and the only performance we really need to talk about is the performative art that sulking fans put up to demand they ultimately should be accountable for bad luck, good goaltending and/or sub par performance elsewhere.

I put up with the stupidity of people after last year demanding Marner get traded over this. Here is the thing....without him or Matthews, this team might not be looking at the playoffs. That is how good they are.

As for Willy, I know damn well the leafs can't win in the playoffs without him playing well. He isn't right now but instead of excusing his slump as many of the Marner/Matthews bashers do, I have commented that his play has been lackluster which is supported by both the eye test and the stats. I don't need to pretend that Nylander is some playoff beast that exceeds the 2 best on the team, because he doesn't. He plays well but it's not him that Tampa is worried about and everyone here knows it.

"unreasonable accountability"? They're literally our 2 best players, of course they have the most accountability on this team lol. With our cap structure they are required to shoulder a substantial load

And that's great that they dominated. But, they did this in games 5-7 versus MTL, they did this game 5 versus CBJ. Dominating play doesn't mean anything when we struggle to score with the opportunity to move forward. At a certain point, you either get it done or you don't and we're far past that point. If we go 7 and lose but Matthews/Marner dominate the xGF% battle would anyone care?

These 2 are our top players, of course they're the ones Tampa is worried about. But, they're paid to work above that and produce regardless