Maple Leafs preparing for William Nylander to play in Game 4

Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander is in line to play in Saturday night's Game 4 of the Eastern Conference first-round series against the visiting Boston Bruins, coach Sheldon Keefe said.

Keefe told reporters Saturday morning that the team is "preparing for Willy to play at this point."

Nylander sat out the first three games of the series due to an undisclosed injury. Boston holds a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

While Nylander did not participate in Saturday's optional morning skate, star Auston Matthews did take the ice after skipping Friday's practice due to what the team labeled as a "maintenance" day. Matthews was held off the scoresheet in Games 1 and 3 and totaled three points (one goal, two assists) in Toronto's 3-2 victory in Game 2 on Monday.

Matthews, 26, recorded career bests in goals (69) and points (107) in the 2023-24 season.

Nylander, who turns 28 next week, set a career high with 98 points (40 goals, career-high 58 assists) and played all 82 games this season. However, he did not score a goal in his final 11 games of the campaign.

Drafted No. 8 overall by Toronto in 2014, Nylander has recorded 528 points (217 goals, 311 assists) in 603 games in the regular season. He has 40 points (17 goals, 23 assists) in 50 games in the Stanley Cup playoffs.