William Nylander extends his impressive season opening point streak, wins Leafs championship belt

While so much of the focus on Nylander being about his lazy two-way play and outright refusal to take a hit to make a play in the past, this new version of William Nylander does not bring about the same concerns. He scored his first career short-handed goal last night against Calgary and also took a massive hit behind the Flames' net to make a play, setting up John Tavares for a goal on a brilliant feed, showcasing his elite playmaking talent.

Nylander ended the night with 2 goals and 1 assist in a 5-4 shootout win over the Flames and was named Player of the Game, earning the right to wear the Leafs championship belt. He also extended his season opening point streak to 14 games, putting up the 4th-most points by a Leaf through the first 14 games of the season, behind only Doug Gilmour (x2) and Rick Vaive and the most points through a Leaf's first 14 games in 30 years.

Following the game, Sheldon Keefe applauded Nylander's offensive efforts, but also placed the spotlight on his excellent defensive play. Teammate Max Domi also spoke about Nylander and where his game is at right now.

With his 3-point night in a win over Calgary, Nylander has moved into the team lead in points with his 19th, 20th and 21st points of the season, surpassing Auston Matthews (19 points). He has a share of the team lead in assists with 12, tied with Mitch Marner, and is second on the team in goals (9), behind only Matthews (13). As Domi stated after the win, every time he touches the puck, something dangerous is happening.

Nylander and the Leafs are back at it tonight as they take on the well-rested Vancouver Canucks - the highest scoring team in the NHL. Following tonight's game, the Buds will travel to Sweden to take part in next week's Global Series, beginning with a meeting with the Red Wings on Friday, followed by a tilt against the Wild next Sunday.