William Nylander comments on recent struggles following nightmarish 8-game run, reveals what his current mindset is
For William Nylander, coming into this season, a lot of what he was looking to prove was that last season wasn't a fluke. Nylander put up 80 points in 81 games last season, setting new career highs in goals (34), assists (46) and points. Well, Nylander has more than backed up his play from last season, producing 81 points in 74 games this year, once again setting career highs in both goals (36) and points, and is just 1 assist behind last year's total in that category as well.
However, it hasn't all been sunshine and rainbows for Willy this season, as he is currently stuck in a bit of a slump. With 8 games remaining, there is still plenty of time to get things rolling in the right direction, but his lack of production over his last 8 games is certainly concerning. Nylander has managed just 2 points over his last 8 games, both of which coming in the Leafs' 6-2 win in Florida back on March 23rd. He failed to register a single point in any of the other 7 games over that span.
Nylander was asked on Friday after practice about his production of late. "It's dead", he said with a grin on his face and a joking tone, knowing full well that everyone knows how rough his previous 8-game run had been. He was then asked what his mindset was amid this recent slide.
Consistency has been something that Nylander has struggled with at times during his young career. However, as a two-time 80-point player, it's a pretty safe bet that he's going to get this all figured out in short order - perhaps as soon as tonight against the Ottawa Senators. There has been a noticeable change in Nylander's play over his last 2 seasons, but especially this year. He's been finding more success playing along the wall and has been forcing his way to the middle of the ice and around the net. If he gets back to doing those things, the production will come. And, let's be honest - if he is simply saving it for the playoffs, that's probably not the worst thing in the world.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 1 | 95 ANSWERS William Nylander comments on recent struggles following nightmarish 8-game run, reveals what his current mindset is Will Nylander get back to scoring in bunches over the next 8 games? | ||
| Yes | 65 | 68.4 % |
| No | 4 | 4.2 % |
| Don't care, just bring it in the playoffs! | 26 | 27.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
