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TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

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TORONTO — William Nylander is tired of painful playoff losses.​

The Maple Leafs winger has been through three first-round postseason exits and one qualifying-round loss in his NHL career so far, feeling the sting of disappointment increase each time.

Nylander has channelled that past frustration into a sensational start to the Leafs’ first-round matchup against Montreal. Toronto leads the series three games to one, and Nylander leads all Leafs with four goals. He and linemate Alex Kerfoot also share the team lead with five points each. 

“The losses in previous years, they hurt you,” Nylander said on Wednesday. “So that's something that I'm trying to not have happen this year. [I’ve learned] just about the small situations, and how every little situation makes a difference in the end of the game. [The] mindset is different now. We set a goal and we're working towards that goal every day.”

Toronto could take a big step towards its ultimate objective in Thursday’s Game 5. There’s a chance then for the Leafs to eliminate Montreal, and by doing so advance to the second round of the postseason for the first time since 2003-04. 

For those like Nylander who have lived through the Leafs’ recent playoff failures, winning a round would be especially meaningful. Knowing that, coach Sheldon Keefe – who only took over behind Toronto’s bench in Nov. 2019 – is trying to keep any undue pressure at bay leading up to Game 5.

“This group itself I look at as its own,” said Keefe. "It has its own identity, and is not attached to anything that's happened in the past and what's important is inside our walls. [That said], we’ve given ourselves a great opportunity here. But there’s a reason why it's been this many years [since the Leafs won a round]. Closing out a series is a very difficult thing to do, and we respect that greatly. We know that tomorrow night's game is going to be the hardest one of the series.”

The Leafs have already been through some adversity in these playoffs, starting with captain John Tavares being stretched off the ice early in Game 1 following a scary sequence of collisions. Tavares was diagnosed with a concussion and knee injury that will keep him sidelined indefinitely.

Nylander played with Tavares most of the season, and was rattled to see him leave so suddenly and in such gut-wrenching fashion. The Leafs went on to lose that game 2-1.

A silver lining to that incident though has been Nylander’s response. Not only has the 25-year-old winger continued to elevate his game on the ice ever since, he’s helping to fill other voids as well.

“He’s more vocal on the bench,” said Jason Spezza of Nylander. “You can tell he's really taken a leadership role with John down. He’s stepped up, and he’s showed a lot of determination. His board battles have been second to none on our team. And he's showing poise with the puck, which is hard to do at this time of year.”

It’s even more difficult when your line is in constant flux. After losing Tavares in Game 1, Nick Foligno stepped in to centre Nylander and Alex Galchenyuk for Game 2. But Foligno suffered a lower-body injury at some point and remains out day-to-day with the ailment. 

Keefe was forced then to shuffle the deck once more, moving Kerfoot up to centre Nylander and Galchenyuk. That combination has led to some impressive early returns. 

Through two games together so far, Kerfoot has assisted on a pair of goals by Nylander and added three more helpers to the mix. Their line emerged as Toronto’s best in Game 4, with Galchenyuk pitching in a goal and two assists for a total of seven points from the trio.

What Nylander and company are doing now goes beyond just being motivated by Tavares’ absence. 

“I think regardless of what happened to John, I would have played the same way,” said Nylander. “It’s playoffs, and whether he's in the lineup or he's not, doesn't mean that's going to change the way I play. [Kerfoot and I] played a little bit last year together, we had a connection from the beginning and I think that has been turned over into this year. There's always been chemistry between us, from day one.”

Keefe had a long talk with Kerfoot in the off-season about what his role on the Leafs would be this season, never expecting how much that would change based on injuries and adjustments throughout the year. But versatility is one of Kerfoot’s strong suits, and he’s giving the Leafs exactly what they need right now. 

“He’s stepped up and found another level and is playing as good of hockey as I've seen from him,” Keefe said. “It can be a somewhat heavy thing, when you look at the lineup as a centre on this team and you're playing behind Auston Matthews and John Tavares. [You wonder], ‘Where do I fit in?’ Or, ‘Where's my opportunity to grow and take a step as a player?’ We were making it very clear to him that he's an important guy for us, and he has been.”

The Leafs took Wednesday off the ice following their set of back-to-back games, but most players still visited the practice facility for treatment. And for the first time since his injury, Tavares went to the rink on Wednesday as well. 

Keefe said Tavares was “getting going again” in his recovery process and “reacclimatizing” to the group, but he’s never been far away. Nylander said the team captain sends text messages before every game reminding the team what it needs to do to be successful, and appears on FaceTime in the dressing room after every game. 

It’s just another example of the foundation Toronto has tried to build all season, bringing together not just good players, but good people too. 

“The simple thing for me is just our unity and camaraderie; this is a true team,” Keefe said. “And I think that just goes to show the personalities that we have, and how that it's all come together. We put ourselves in a good spot here and we're excited about the opportunity to compete again tomorrow. It’s a huge chance for our team to take another big step [towards] a very difficult thing to accomplish, and that’s the closing of the series.”