William Nylander will miss his third consecutive game on Thursday when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Winnipeg Jets at Scotiabank Arena.

Nylander took the ice early before his teammates held a full morning skate session. Based on what we observed, Nylander appeared to be exercising some caution. While he worked on stickhandling and skating drills, he did not push himself with any power skating or full-stride drills, suggesting he is not yet nearing a return.

“He skated a little bit today. I would say he's doubtful to practice with us tomorrow, but you never know,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of Nylander. “If he comes in tomorrow and he's feeling like he wants to get on the ice with the team, hopefully that's true and he is feeling better, so we'll have to see”.

Nylander exited in the second period of the Maple Leafs’ 7-5 win against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday after a collision with Senators defenseman Artem Zub. This marks the second time he has missed games due to injury this season, a departure from the durability he has shown for most of his NHL career. Nylander previously missed three games in late October with a lower-body injury after being cross-checked by Buffalo Sabres forward Jason Zucker. The Swedish superstar also missed one game this season due to illness.

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Despite these absences, Nylander remains the club’s top scorer by a wide margin, tallying 41 points (17 goals and 27 assists) in 33 games. He leads the team’s next highest scorer, John Tavares, by five points.

The Leafs have managed to pick up three out of a possible four points without Nylander, including a 4-0 win against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. While they played that contest without superstar Auston Matthews, he is expected to return for the game against Winnipeg after missing one game due to a lower-body injury sustained while blocking a shot against Detroit.

William Nylander To Miss Maple Leafs' Key Divisonal Matchup Against Red Wings, Easton Cowan Draws Back InThe Maple Leafs look to extend their winning streak against the Atlantic Division-leading Red Wings while navigating the absence of William Nylander and the return of rookie Easton Cowan to the lineup.