Flu-like illness has floored a couple of Toronto Maple Leafs over the past few days

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Published Oct 15, 2024  •  3 minute read

William Nylander #88 of the Toronto Maple Leafs battles with Curtis Lazar of the New Jersey Devils. Getty Images

An early season flu bug is giving the Maple Leafs as much grief as opposing penalty killers.

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As a slightly thinner John Tavares made his way back to practice Tuesday, William Nylander was absent and, like Tavares, might have to miss a game, in this case Wednesday’s home date with the Los Angeles Kings.

“It’s up in the air right now,” head coach Carig Berube said of Nylander’s availability. “Hopefully he’s fine, we’ll see.

“We’ve had more guys (sick) too, but they were able to keep going. We’ve got to watch for it. But it was great to see J.T. out there today and he got through practice. It looked like he was low-energy, but he’s a good pro, got out, had a sweat and I’m sure he’ll feel better later.”

Tavares, who rarely misses games, admitted he dropped a few pounds since before being taken out of Saturday’s lineup against Pittsburgh.

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“I’m still coming around, getting my energy back,” he said, though reported he had no related stomach problems. “I hadn’t been on the ice a few days, so getting out with the guys was fun. But you notice the difference.”

While many players don’t want to be perceived as weak for letting a non-hockey issue pull them from the lineup, caution must be exercised to prevent the bug from spreading in the cramped dressing room and team travel environment, possibly leading to more players ordered to stay home.

Then there’s veteran Max Pacioretty.

“I have five kids,” he quipped. “I go home and, if you’re gonna get it, you’re gonna get it.”

Whether Tavares is back or Nylander’s out, whoever gets on the first power-play unit will have to do better against the Kings than during the first three games. The unit is in an 0-for-9 October rut, 1-for-30 counting last year’s playoff series loss to Boston.

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Pacioretty joined Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Matthew Knies and defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson with the top group Wednesday.

Berube felt the 35-year-old left winger still has the zeal to sling the puck around and, with his talented new partners in Toronto, can be effective with the extra man and more ice.

There was emphasis on puck touches and puck movement in a drill, some of it 5-on-2.

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“Not dusting it off, moving it quick,” Berube urged. “Sometimes power plays get stagnant or are stagnant because they aren’t seeing it, aren’t making the PK move quick enough.

“(Wednesday’s practice) just gets more touches and more opportunity to shoot pucks with only two killers out there. It’s something we’ve done in the past, it makes the (power-play participants) feel good.”

Toronto also took note that the Kings gave up four power-play goals Monday in Ottawa during a wild 8-7 loss.

At 5-on-5 Tuesday, Tavares was between Nick Robertson and Pontus Holmberg, while Max Domi centred Bobby McMann and Pacioretty.

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Berube might have three healthy goaltenders before long as Joseph Woll continued to practice through a lower body tightness complication that landed him on injured reserve last week. In his place, Anthony Stolarz has a record of 1-1, including Saturday’s decision over Pittsburgh, while Dennis Hildeby won his NHL debut in New Jersey.

Berube indicated at the end of camp that it would be a win-and-stay-in situation for Woll and Stolarz and, while not committing to Stolarz on Tuesday, noted how well he played in Saturday’s 4-2 final with 21 saves.

Hildeby is replacing Woll for now, but a potential long run between the pipes is what drew free-agent Stolarz to the Leafs.

For the second straight day, Timothy Liljegren practised on the third pairing with Simon Benoit, with the Swede anxiously awaiting his season debut. He likely bumps Conor Timmins.

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