New York. For the first time in his career, William Nylander hit 40 targets last night – thus becoming second in the Swedish shooting league behind Adrian Kempe.
– Of course it’s fun to be there, but above all I’m glad I scored 40 goals, he told Sportbladet.
Nothing was at stake for the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs in the 82nd round, they stayed put — the Rangers are third in the Metropolitan standings and Paper second in the Atlantic — no matter the outcome.
But a rather exciting game, blue and yellow inside the match, was still to come, because both Mika Zibanejad and William Nylander had scored 39 goals before relegation and thus made up for winning the Swedish Shooting League in the NHL Eastern Conference.
Win the match against Mika
It won, “Lill-Nyllet”. After being blocked by Rangers goalkeeper Jaroslav Halek on several occasions, he managed to chip a shot into the net midway through the third period.
– Well, I probably shot a lot in this game, I really wanted to score a goal, he says with a wide smile when we meet him outside the dressing room in Toronto.
– Of course it’s fun to be ahead of the shooting leagues, but above all I’m glad I scored 40 for the first time.
Mika didn’t – but took the opportunity to congratulate the competitor.
– We laughed together on the ice and I said that it was good for him to comment on someone when he shoots so much, the Rangers center smiled.
– For my part, I feel a little sad that I didn’t score the 40th goal when I was now on 39. I had chances. But it was the same last year, when I was 29 and I missed an open goal in the last game. very funny. But I hope I have some left in the club for the playoffs instead.
There, the Rangers could go straight up in the derby against New Jersey — evident after Carolina’s 6-4 win over Florida last night, to which Jesper Fast contributed his 10th goal of the season.
– Of course, it’s very interesting to go up against an opponent, and I’m looking forward to it, says Mika.
Looking forward to the playoffs
Toronto’s rematch with Tampa in the first round has been evident for nearly half of the season, and Lil’ Nelliet is full of anticipation.
– In the last five or six games we’ve built up our confidence again, it feels good, he says.
After tonight’s run, all series are sealed in the Eastern Half of the Stanley Cup first round.
This is how they look:
• Boston Bruins – Florida Panthers
• Toronto Maple Leafs – Tampa Bay Lightning
• Carolina Hurricanes – New York Islanders
• New Jersey Devils – New York Rangers
