A day after Borje Salming's passing, Toronto's Swedish players came up clutch and carried the team to victory; Nylander ties Salming
Borje Salming was idolized by many, especially young Swedish hockey players growing up and in his final return to Toronto, the Leafs started an all-Swedish lineup in honour of him. Sadly, Salming passed away after his short battle with ALS yesterday and for today's game against Minnesota, the Leafs had a special shoulder patch added to their jerseys to honour him. The Leafs, especially those of Swedish heritage, rode into Minneapolis/St. Paul with one goal in mind; win the game for Borje - and win the game they did.
William Nylander, who was close to the Salming family, scored to give the Leafs a 4-2 lead late in the third. That goal tied Nylander with Salming for second all-time for goals scored by a Swedish player in a Leafs uniform (148). Not only did Nylander tie Salming, but on each of the four Leaf goals, a Swede registered a point. Nylander and Calle Jarnkrok scored while Pierre Engvall and Timothy Liljegren added assists on the other two Leaf goals.
The final minute was as nail-biter, but the Leafs were able to hold off the Wild and secure the 2 points on a day where they honoured the legendary Borje Salming. Also, kudos to the Wild for paying tribute to Salming prior to the game. That was a classy move and a nice touch, which I'm sure the Leafs organization appreciated greatly.
