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The Toronto Maple Leafs survived a tense six-game series against the Ottawa Senators, clinching their spot in the second round with a 4-2 road win on Thursday night.
But before the puck even dropped in Game 6, a glaring error nearly resulted in William Nylander being ineligible to play.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Nylander’s name was left off the official game sheet due to a number mix-up with his brother, Alex Nylander.
Alex, currently playing for the AHL's Toronto Marlies and wearing No. 92, was listed instead of William, who wears No. 88.
If the error hadn’t been identified before puck drop, Rule 5.1 of the NHL rulebook would have rendered William ineligible for the game.
“Number 92 Alexander Nylander, Willie’s brother, is listed, and Willie is listed as a scratch,” Friedman said. “If the puck had dropped and nobody had noticed this, Willie Nylander could have been removed from the game.”
Fortunately, the mistake was flagged by an official before the opening faceoff, giving the Leafs a chance to correct it in time, with head coach Craig Berube blaming technology for the error.
“We never would have made that mistake in the old days when we just wrote the names in by hand, too,” Berube said.
Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (88) tries to control the puck against the Ottawa Senators.John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Nylander revealed that he only learned about the situation after the game.
“I heard about it after the game,” Nylander said. “But yeah, luckily somebody caught that.”
The Leafs winger, who celebrated his 29th birthday on Thursday, went on to have his best performance of the series, scoring two goals and adding an assist to his three-point outing.
Toronto advanced to the second round, where the Leafs will face the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, with Game 1 set for Monday night in Toronto.
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But before the puck even dropped in Game 6, a glaring error nearly resulted in William Nylander being ineligible to play.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Nylander’s name was left off the official game sheet due to a number mix-up with his brother, Alex Nylander.
Alex, currently playing for the AHL's Toronto Marlies and wearing No. 92, was listed instead of William, who wears No. 88.
If the error hadn’t been identified before puck drop, Rule 5.1 of the NHL rulebook would have rendered William ineligible for the game.
“Number 92 Alexander Nylander, Willie’s brother, is listed, and Willie is listed as a scratch,” Friedman said. “If the puck had dropped and nobody had noticed this, Willie Nylander could have been removed from the game.”
Fortunately, the mistake was flagged by an official before the opening faceoff, giving the Leafs a chance to correct it in time, with head coach Craig Berube blaming technology for the error.
“We never would have made that mistake in the old days when we just wrote the names in by hand, too,” Berube said.
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Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (88) tries to control the puck against the Ottawa Senators.John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Nylander revealed that he only learned about the situation after the game.
“I heard about it after the game,” Nylander said. “But yeah, luckily somebody caught that.”
The Leafs winger, who celebrated his 29th birthday on Thursday, went on to have his best performance of the series, scoring two goals and adding an assist to his three-point outing.
Toronto advanced to the second round, where the Leafs will face the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, with Game 1 set for Monday night in Toronto.
Related: Paul Bissonnette Sends Stern Warning to Panthers Before Maple Leafs Series
Related: Matthew Tkachuk’s First Message to Brady Tkachuk After Senators-Maple Leafs
Related: Matthew Tkachuk’s First Message to Brady Tkachuk After Senators-Maple Leafs
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