CALGARY — Hats off, tarps off.
After the Scotiabank Saddledome shovellers scooped up a slew of doffed caps to celebrate hometown road warrior William Nylander’s three-goal performance, the Toronto Maple Leafs superstar ditched his top to talk kismet.
If it’s not crazy enough to learn that of all Nylander’s 250 goals, Tuesday marked just his second-ever hat trick, it’s even wilder to learn that No. 88’s second hatty arrived precisely on the eight-year anniversary of his first.
“I had no clue, but it’s pretty insane. I mean, born here and scoring my second-career hat trick eight years after my first one is pretty wild,” smiled Nylander, wearing only gym shorts and flip-flops while wind whipped through the minus-26 air outside the old barn.
“I didn’t really expect that to happen maybe tonight. I mean, I’ve had a lot of other games where I had two goals and not been able to score, so it’s nice it finally went in.”
Nice that the Maple Leafs offence has avalanched in the shadow of the Rockies, as the previously slumping club exploded for 10 goals in its Alberta sweep.
Nice that the power-play has clicked and injury scares subsided by the time the Leafs doubled the Calgary Flames 6-3.
Nice that Nylander’s poise and precision is being held as a template for his teammates, like fellow Alberta native Bobby McMann, who also sniped one off the rush on this red-hot, freezing-cold night.
“Just the fact that he makes it look easy every time, it’s crazy,” McMann marveled. “Sometimes he holds that shot, or just finds those little spots just above the (goalie’s) pad, below the glove there, and it makes it look easy.
“I’ve watched him. He kind of baits the goalie for a half second. He leans into it, but then, like, holds it for a second just before he shoots. I think it throws a goalie off a little bit. So, just the timing of when he releases the puck is something that I’m trying to pick up on.”
Together, Nylander’s three snipes pumped him back to a 50-goal pace (he’s never exceeded 40), but each was as unique as a Banff snowflake.
A one-timed flank blast plattered by Matthew Knies on the power-play. A game-sealing, unassisted empty-netter born of an all-effort puck battle that meant stripping stud defenceman MacKenzie Weegar at the defensive blueline. And a casual 2-on-1 keep-and-snipe in which passing was not a thought.
“I was just laughing,” winning goalie Joseph Woll chuckled. “Yesterday in practice, he scored on me, like, every time he shot on me. So as soon as he got the puck on the 2-on-1, I’m like, ‘There’s no question. He’s gonna score.’ ”
As much confidence as others have in Nylander, we feel safe suggesting he has even more in himself.
Following Tuesday’s morning skate, Nylander was asked about his soon-to-be victim, Flames goalie Dustin Wolf.
Now, Wolf is all the rage in these parts. His numbers are fantastic. His battle level high. And his stock as a Calder favourite is rising like a gondola.
“I don’t really know anything about him,” Nylander shrugged.
OK, so will you study some video on how to beat him?
“I won’t probably look,” Nylander replied.
The Leafs’ most prolific goal scorer didn’t mean any disrespect. He simply trusts his weapons of mass deception. He was being honest.
“He’s awesome,” veteran linemate Max Pacioretty smiles, when you bring up Nylander. “I love how he sees the game, so I love trying to pick his brain about hockey and why he’s so good.”
Pacioretty pauses and laughs a little.
“I don’t even think he knows why he’s so good,” he continues. “I love how he sees the game so much differently than anyone I’ve played with. That’s what makes him so good, and that’s what also what makes him unique.”
Pacioretty, a 17-season vet, watches Nylander work on little skating drills before practice that he’s never seen anyone do.
“It’s just cool to be around such good players that play really different from each other,” Pacioretty explains. “It’s cool because it shows that there’s not one way to play.”
The long-running joke is that these Calgary games are a homecoming for Nylander — a Swedish rock star who summers with family in Stockholm and will proudly rock the Tre Kronor at next week’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
On Tuesday, the Canadian-born Swede explained he moved away from NHL father Michael’s Albertan outpost when he was just two years old.
He didn’t return to Calgary until his first road trip to play in the Saddledome as a pro.
“It was beautiful. We went out to the mountains,” Nylander smiles. “I loved it.”
Fox’s Fast Five
• The Maple Leafs improved to 22-17-2 all-time without Mitch Marner, who missed his first game all season to a lower-body injury.
“I don’t think it’s serious. I don’t,” coach Craig Berube said. “I’m hoping he’s available next game. That’s the way I look at it.”
Marner was chatting with friends post-game and appeared in good spirits. The plan is to get Marner on the ice Wednesday in Seattle and see how he responds to a workout ahead of Thursday’s game against the Kraken.
• Beloved Chris Tanev was honoured with his second welcome-back video tribute in 48 days (we see you, Dallas). The warrior’s highlight reel, as you’d imagine, is mostly face blocks and goal-line saves.
“I’m gonna be locked into the game. If people are cheering, I’ll give a wave. I obviously appreciate it, but I’m usually pretty zoned in the game,” Tanev said pre-game of the Jumbotron love.
Yep, he waved.
“His consistency was off the charts,” recalled Flames coach Ryan Huska.
“There weren’t too many games where you’re like, ‘Oof, Tanny, you aren’t there.’ But the one thing that always stands out for you is, no matter what the situation, I’ve never seen a guy play through things like he has played through at times. That’s pretty impressive — what he’ll do for teammates.”
• Toronto’s power play caught fire in Alberta, converting twice in Edmonton and two more times in Calgary.
“The simplicity of it,” Knies says, is the key. “Getting shots on that. Just rebounds and little plays like that, I think, have been helping us. Moving the puck well, breaking in easily — that’s the kind of things that we try to look over on video, and I think we’ve done a great job with that.”
• For the first time since junior, John Tavares — who returned from injury ahead of schedule — is playing with a knee brace.
He told the Toronto regional broadcast that he’s hopeful to ditch the extra accessory sometime after the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
• Regardless of whether a penalty or a challenged goal benefits the home team or the road team, Flames game ops will run the replay on the Jumbotron for the crowd to see, often from multiple angles. Bravo.
Plenty of barns don’t do this, which can be infuriating to fans who pay good money to watch the game live, then get robbed of the replays fans at home see.
