Nylander held pointless in season debut as Maple Leafs fall in OT

Rudi Schuller

Nylander held pointless in season debut as Maple Leafs fall in OT image

William Nylander finally made his return to the Toronto Maple Leafs' lineup on Thursday, but it wasn't the game he would have wanted.

Nylander's season debut after a protracted contract standoff came in game No. 29 for the Leafs, which could have been seen as an omen as the fourth-year winger wears No. 29 on his jersey. However, Toronto fell 5-4 in overtime to the visiting Detroit Red Wings with Nylander largely ineffective in 12:48 of ice time.

The William Nylander story: A timeline from NHL draft to Maple Leafs' new $45M man

Nylander started the game on a line with Auston Matthews and Patrick Marleau, garnering a round of applause from the fans at Scotiabank Arena when he stepped onto the ice for his first shift early in the opening period.

Unfortunately for the 22-year-old, his lack of playing time in the lead-up to Thursday's contest showed on multiple occasions. Nylander appeared out of sync with his teammates and off the pace of the game at times, and when the Leafs found themselves down 4-1 to start the third period, head coach Mike Babcock elected to re-allocate the Swede to a different line.

Toronto mounted a frenzied comeback after Babcock shuffled his lines, storming back from a three-goal deficit to force overtime. Nylander played little part in the comeback, sitting most of the third period and all of the extra frame as he ended his night without a point to his credit.

It wasn't all negative for the returning Leafs' star, however. Nylander showed flashes of ingenuity and tenacity at both ends of the ice.

He even drew a penalty as he showed some of the speed that helped make him a $45 million man.

For his part, Nylander wasn't discouraged by his debut. He told reporters after the game that he was expecting "a lot of difference" between his practicing on his own and jumping into game action.

Toronto falls to 20-8-1 after Thursday's loss. The Leafs are back in action against the Boston Bruins on Saturday.

Rudi Schuller