"He’s scared": NHL fans react to Paul Bissonnette's question about William Nylander's availability

William Nylander's absence from the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup in Game 1 of their series against the Boston Bruins left fans and analysts concerned.

Following the game, analyst Paul Bissonnette took to social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to inquire about Nylander's status.

"What's wrong with Willy @MapleLeafs?"

The question sparked a flurry of responses from fans, with one suggesting:

"He's scared bro."

Another fan confidently said Nylander will return for Game 2:

"He’ll be back game 2 and the leafs will win, guaranteed the gave is going back to Boston game 5 tied 2-2 then it’s a best of three and anyone’s series at that point"

Here are some fan reactions:

"No one knows for sure, but it will be interesting to hear the story they spin when he does come back," one fan wrote on X.

"They vanish when it matters," another fan wrote.

"Non hockey related injury seems is my guess," a user wrote.

"I don't think him being out is the problem," one fan wrote.

"Everything it's the curse," a user wrote.

William Nylander, who had a great regular season with 40 goals and 58 assists in 82 games, was absent from Friday's practice and then missed Saturday's 5-1 loss to the Bruins.

While the exact reason for Nylander's absence remains undisclosed, the impact was felt throughout the game. The Maple Leafs struggled to generate offensive opportunities without one of their top scorers.

Maple Leafs slump to 5-1 loss to the Boston Bruins in William Nylander's absence

The Toronto Maple Leafs got off to a disappointing start in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins.

John Beecher opened the scoring for Boston just over two minutes into the game, beating Ilya Samsonov on a 2-on-1 rush. Brandon Carlo made it 2-0 later in the first with a long shot through traffic that found the back of the net. Jake DeBrusk struck twice in the second period to give the Bruins a commanding 4-0 lead.

David Kämpf got Toronto on the board in the third period, deflecting in a point shot, but it was too late. An empty-netter from Trent Frederic sealed a decisive 5-1 Bruins victory.

After the game, coach Sheldon Keefe lamented his team's inability to overcome William Nylander's absence.

"We've played with other guys at different times and we handled it very well. We didn't handle it very well tonight. He's one guy that we haven't experienced playing without and we certainly missed him," Keefe said.

The Leafs will need to adjust quickly, with Game 2 set for Monday night in Boston.