Maple Leafs Star William Nylander Backs Up Controversial Comments in a Big Way

After a disappointing loss to the Dallas Stars, Maple Leafs star William Nylander was quoted as saying, "what's the big deal?", referring to the Leafs' recent 3-game losing skid.

The comment left Leafs Nation with a sour taste in the mouths of fans who are tired of mediocrity from a team who possesses all of the talent in the world, yet still fails to execute -- especially in the postseason.

Nylander's remarks even landed him in front of the firing squad that is the Toronto media, with Sportsnet's Sam McKee reminding Nylander that it's not just 3 games -- it's 8 years.

Well, it would appear as though Nylander received the message, and on Thursday evening, the kid from Stockholm, Sweden delivered in a big way in front of the home crowd at Scotiabank Arena, to the tune of 2 goals and 1 assist, including the overtime winner against the New Jersey Devils in former Leafs bench boss Sheldon Keefe's return to Toronto.

Following the win, it was very clear who Leafs head coach Craig Berube felt was the MVP, giving Nylander some love by name in his post-game presser.

Berube had a few things to say following the win, but a lot of it was in relation to Nylander's statement game against the Devils to silence the critics.

Nylander wasn't the only player in Toronto facing some backlash over the last week, as Mitch Marner was also a target of plenty of criticism amid the losing streak. Marner was also able to contribute 2 assists in last night's win to help bump the slump.

The Leafs will now travel to Montreal to take on the suddenly surging Canadiens, who have gone 8-1-1 in their last 10. Hopefully Nylander, Marner and the rest of the team don't fall into their previous habits of allowing teams below them in the standings to skate away with 2 points -- especially a heated rival like Montreal.