Auston Matthews, William Nylander full participants in Maple Leafs ...
The Maple Leafs stars were on the ice after dealing minor issues this week.
Published Sep 27, 2024 • 1 minute read
Captain Auston Matthews was back at Maple Leafs practice on Friday.
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William Nylander, too.
Matthews was a full participant after dealing with a minor upper-body injury this week, while Nylander took part after departing the preseason game against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
After the Leafs’ 2-1 win against the Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena, Leafs coach Craig Berube said Nylander was “fine” and there was nothing to worry about. That came sharper into focus when Nylander skated with the main group at the Ford Performance Centre.
Nylander was hurt in the first period on Thursday after he fell head-first into the leg of Montreal forward Christian Dvorak. Nylander lost his footing when Nick Robertson attempted to give him a helpful push from behind. Nylander was taken out of the game for precautionary reasons.
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John Tavares, meanwhile, was not on the ice on Friday as the Leafs prepared for a preseason rematch against the Canadiens in Montreal on Saturday. He’s listed as day-to-day with a lower-body issue, something was obvious on Thursday when he had just two shifts in the third period.
“My leg was getting pretty stiff from a hit I took in the first,” Tavares said after the game. “It wasn’t so bad afterward, but throughout the second and especially in the third, it got really stiff. I didn’t have much. I told Craig I was just keeping them (shifts) short but he determined to give me the rest of the night off.”
The majority of practice was spent on special teams drills.
Forwards Calle Jarnkrok (lower body), Alex Steeves (lower body) and Connor Dewar (shoulder) also did not participate in practice.
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Defenceman Dakota Mermis, looking to solidify a depth position on the blue line, is listed as week-to-week after undergoing jaw surgery on Thursday. Mermis was injured in practice earlier this week.
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