Oliver Kylington’s admirable return earns him well-deserved Bill Masterton Trophy nod
Oliver Kylington’s return has been one of the feel-good stories of the year, making him the sure choice to be nominated for the Bill Masterton Trophy, awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
After 39 minutes of gameplay, the scoreless deadlock between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins in Game 6 was finally broken.
To do the honours, Maple Leafs forward William Nylander, who fired a wrist shot that deflected off Bruins defenceman Charlie McAvoy and into the net.
The goal marked Nylander’s first of this year’s playoffs, and his first since March 26, as the winger missed the first three games of the first-round series.
In a series with few goals scored so far (only 24 total in the first five games) the beginning of Game 6 was even more defensively oriented in comparison.
Also considering star forward Auston Matthews is missing in action for the second straight game, the tally is even more critical, and social media took notice.