Toronto Maple Leafs lose William Nylander, Oliver Ekman-Larsson returns vs Vegas after injuries

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost William Nylander and Oliver Ekman-Larsson in the first period Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights, both exiting the game late in the period.

Ekman-Larsson returned to the game, but Nylander has been ruled out with a lower body injury, and will not return to tonight's game.

Nylander, who had scored early in the game for Toronto, left in the first period with an unclear issue. Nylander appeared to be in some agitation after celebrating his goal, exiting after. It's not known if something was aggravated during his celebration.

Having a goal and an assist on the night, Nylander has 17 goals and a team-leading 37 assists and 48 points in 37 games on the season for the Leafs.

Ekman-Larsson left shortly after Nylander, exiting in the latter stages in the period after colliding with Vegas forward Cole Reinhardt. Ekman-Larsson and Nylander did not return during the first period.

Toronto is already without Chris Tanev and Dakota Mermis on the blueline. Ekman-Larsson has seven goals and 28 points in 46 games this season for the Leafs, leading Toronto defensemen in points.

A potential loss to one or both of Nylander and Ekman-Larsson would be a difficult double blow for the Leafs, but also for the Swedish Olympic team, to which both players were named to their national team for the 2026 Olympics in Milan, Italy.

It will be determined the prognosis for Nylander and if he will have to miss any time, or if he will be able to return as soon as Toronto's next game Saturday vs Winnipeg.

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