William Nylander Responds With Humour to Early Own-Goal in Leafs' Thrilling OT Win
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton - Imagn Images
Leafs forward William Nylander has light-hearted response to scoring into his own net after making amends with a dazzling overtime winner later in the game.
With the Toronto Maple Leafs battered, bruised and spiralling out of control, William Nylander's own goal to start the game could have been the prelude to another disappointing loss.
However, this time around, it became the butt of a few jokes as Nylander was able to salvage the night with a beautiful highlight-reel goal in overtime to snap the Leafs' 5-game losing streak.
The game-winning goal was a thing of beauty as John Tavares won a battle along the boards when he was outnumbered 3 to 1, before making a no-look kick pass to Nylander who finished off the play with a dazzling array of dekes to send the home fans happy.
After the game, the Swedish winger had a light-hearted response to the early-game gaffe by claiming he actually scored two goals, before giving a lot of credit to Tavares for the set-up in overtime.
The Blues were cycling the puck deep in Leafs territory before Oskar Sundqvist sent the puck towards the blue paint from behind the net. Nathan Walker fumbled the shot but as it went up in the air, Nylander attempted to swat it out harm's way, but instead found the back of his own net.
When asked to describe the play after the game, Nylander was able to find humour in the play, saying how it was nice to get on the board early, but mentioned how it was just a reactionary play to a puck being loose in the air.
The victim of the play was goaltender Joseph Woll, who was in net for the second straight game since being recalled from his conditioning stint. He mentioned how Nylander was quick to apologize, but that he knew he'd avenge his mistake due to his unflappable nature.
That's elite. His persona is kind of his superpower... whether he scores on our net or their net, he's pretty much the same, so pretty awesome
It was a much needed victory for the Maple Leafs, who had once again blown a third period lead that eventually forced overtime. It was their first win since early November, and with injuries mounting, it was a great sign to see the star players performing to their lofty standards.
Nylander, who was credited with his 9th goal of the season, will look to keep the good times rolling, and perhaps jumpstart a winning streak, as they play host to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.
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