Let’s get one thing straight, William Nylander isn’t just playing great hockey right now, he’s doing it with maximum drip and minimum stress. While the Maple Leafs are busy making playoff history, “Willy Styles” is out here casually collecting goals, rocking the same suit three games in a row, and apparently refusing to wear a shirt during post-game interviews. Yes, really. And if you ask Coach Craig Berube, the best strategy with him might just be: leave him alone and let him cook.
William Nylander is stacking up playoff goals while barely breaking a sweat
Toronto is up 2-0 on the Florida Panthers in the second round of the playoffs, and Nylander is a massive reason why. With six goals already in the 2025 postseason, he’s currently sitting behind only Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon for most goals scored. For Leafs fans, this is historic, it’s the most goals by any Toronto player in a single postseason since 2004, when Nylander was just 8 years old.
And he's not done yet.
He also just became the first Leaf in 22 years to net five goals across a three-game playoff span. The last one? Alexander Mogilny back in 2003. Safe to say, Willy’s skating in elite company.
Coach Berube is learning the golden rule: don’t talk to Nylander, just watch the magic
It’s only Berube’s first season behind Toronto’s bench, but he’s already figured out the Nylander playbook, stepped back and let the man do his thing.
“He just plays,” Berube laughed after Game 2.
“And he doesn’t want me to talk to him… I probably should just leave him alone.”Fair. Nylander thrives in pressure, and Berube knows it. The coach says there’s no stage too big for him, and when it’s crunch time, Willy doesn’t just show up, he dominates. With elite hands, slick skating, and zero fear, he’s become Toronto’s most reliable X-factor.
Flashback to 2019, during an NHL media tour in Stockholm. Nylander confidently told reporters,
“I’m looking forward to dominate.”Now, six years later, he’s doing exactly that with a quiet swagger, an unbothered energy, and a game that keeps raising eyebrows. His next test? Game 3 in Florida this Friday, and with the Panthers backed into a corner, it’s about to get loud.
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