Playing in Sweden during his NHL career is something that William Nylander never expected.
He is one of five Toronto Maple Leafs of Swedish heritage who will face the Detroit Red Wings in Stockholm on Friday. The Leafs will play the first of two games in Global Series Sweden.
“It’s been a dream to come back here and play. I didn’t think it would happen in my career, to play NHL games in Sweden. So it’s going to be very special,” Nylander said. “It’s good for team building to come out here. And we’re going to do some things together while we’re here, so I think it’s going to be very good for the team.”
Toronto, which faces Minnesota on Sunday before returning home, has not played since a 5-2 home win over Vancouver. Nylander scored his 10th goal of the contest, giving him a team-best 22 points.
“Knowing Will, he likes to stay focused on the hockey,” coach Sheldon Keefe said. “He’ll get his obligations out of the way and all that, and I know all our Swedish guys in particular would be excited to play this weekend.”
Toronto arrived in Sweden on Tuesday, so the players have had time to enjoy the sights before they start on Friday.
“You see the guys back in their home country, just smiles and everything. I’ve noticed that the Swedish guys are a really close-knit group. We joke with them a little bit about it,” forward Auston Matthews said. “I’m sure this is a really cool experience for them.”
The Red Wings played their Global Series opener on Thursday. Detroit trailed Ottawa 4-0 midway through the second period, tied the score before the period ended, then lost in overtime 5-4.
Lucas Raymond, the lone Swede on Detroit’s roster, started the comeback with a breakaway goal.
“You never want to be in that position, down 4-0,” goaltender James Reimer said. “We played a solid game and things just didn’t work out. We just fought and fought and found a way to get a point. I hope at the end of the year we can look back and realize that this point was big for us . That’s the only way we can look at it.”
Detroit killed four third-period penalties but lost on Tim Stutzle’s goal with two seconds left in OT.
“Very disappointing,” Wings captain Dylan Larkin said. “We had chances in overtime. We looked good and with the penalties we did a good job of killing them. But it’s hard to be in that spot, and we did a good job of getting a point tonight.”
With top goaltender Ville Husso in Detroit for the birth of his first child, manager Derek Lalonde could give third-stringer Alex Lyon his first start this season. Lyon appeared in 15 regular season games with Florida last season.
“That would be great,” Lyon said. “It’s cool to be here in Sweden and be with the team. For me, it’s always just a matter of trying to climb the ladder, and that’s really what it’s all about. I want as much NHL time as I can get . I want to continue to prove myself at this level.”
This is the first of three meetings this season between the Original Six teams.