Maple Leafs’ William Nylander incident during Avalanche loss being ‘looked at’ by NHL

Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander became the center of attention for all the wrong reasons during Sunday’s 4-1 home loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Sidelined with a groin injury for the fifth consecutive game, Nylander was seated in the press box with other injured and scratched Toronto players when he briefly flashed his middle finger to a TSN broadcast camera. It was in the third period, with the Leafs down three, that the incident took place.

The clip quickly went viral on social media, prompting Nylander to issue an apology.

“Only love for Leafs nation,” the 29-year-old wrote on his Instagram story with heart emojis while also covering up his hand with heart hands. “Sorry about my moment of frustration toady! Didn’t mean to upset anyone. Looking forward to being back on the ice and not in the stands (crying emoji), love Willy.”

Now confirmed by The Athletic’s Chris Johnston, the NHL is reviewing the incident, and that Nylander could face potential disciplinary action.

“The NHL is looking at this William Nylander incident, per sources. It’s possible the #leafs forward will face punishment for flipping the middle finger at the broadcast camera during today’s game,” Johnston wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Along with Brock Nelson’s hat trick, Jack Drury scored for the Avalanche, while Max Domi netted the Maple Leafs only goal in the final 62 seconds, preventing a shutout by Mackenzie Blackwood, who made 32 saves on 33 shots.

Nylander has been out of the lineup since re-aggravating a groin injury on January 15 against the Vegas Golden Knights. He initially sustained the injury on December 27 versus the Ottawa Senators, missing six games before returning on January 10 against the Vancouver Canucks. He resumed skating over the Weekend for a 20-minute session alongside Dakota Joshua. However, head coach Craig Berube clarified there is no definitive timetable for his return.

Though he has missed multiple games this season, Nylander remains Toronto’s top scorer, topping the roster with 48 points, including 17 goals and 31 assists, and averaging 18:33 on the ice over 37 contests. Now in his 11th NHL season, Nylander has 279 goals and 381 assists for 660 points in 722 career regular-season games.

The Maple Leafs, currently 24-19-9 with 57 points, are seventh in the Atlantic Division and five points behind the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot, held by the Boston Bruins. Toronto will return to action on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres.

The post Maple Leafs’ William Nylander incident during Avalanche loss being ‘looked at’ by NHL appeared first on ClutchPoints.