William Nylander Earns NHL Second Star Honors After Dominant Week for Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs star William Nylander has been named the NHL's second star of the week for the period ending Dec. 22, the league announced on Monday.

Nylander had standout performances in all three of Toronto's recent \games, tallying seven points (five goals, two assists) in helping the Leafs pick up two wins last week.

On Dec. 18, Nylander had two goals in a 5-3 win over the Dallas Stars, including a tying goal early in the second period. He followed that up with a three-point outing (1 goal, 2 assists) in a 6-3 victory against the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 20, marking his third three-point game of the season and 36th of his career. Despite his two-goal effort in the Dec. 21 game against the New York Islanders, the Maple Leafs fell 6-3.

The 28-year-old winger is coming off a career-best season in 2023-24 (40 goals, 58 assists, 98 points) and has scored 40 goals in each of his last two seasons. Nylander ranks second in the NHL with 23 goals through 34 games this season and is among the league leaders in several key categories, including game-winning goals (tied for 4th, 5), shots on goal (5th, 121), power-play goals (tied for 6th, 7), power-play points (tied for 9th, 16), and overall points (19th, 38).

Related: With Auston Matthews Battling Injury, Can William Nylander Keep The Rocket Richard Trophy In Toronto This NHL Season?

Nylander entered Monday's game against the Winnipeg Jets just one goal behind Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl for the league lead in goals this season (24). His torrid pace has helped Toronto navigate playing in 10 games without captain Auston Matthews. The star will miss his 11th game on Monday with an upper-body injury,

Related: Auston Matthews Will Sit Out Again For Maple Leafs Against Jets With Upper-Body Injury