William Nylander shining for Maple Leafs in playoffs: 'Nothing gets to him'

Craig Berube joked earlier this week William Nylander has little time for his head coach.

"He doesn't want me to talk to him," the Toronto Maple Leafs bench boss said with a smirk of his star winger. "I probably should just leave him alone."

Berube navigated his first campaign in Toronto getting to know a talented offensive core that had experienced plenty of regular-season success — and very little of it in the playoffs.

Nylander has been a consistent spring performer for the Leafs despite those bitter failures. He's risen knew heights in the latest Stanley Cup chase.

The 29-year-old winger led the Leafs with six goals and seven assists for 13 points in eight contests ahead of Friday's Game 3 against the Florida Panthers with Toronto up 2-0 in the second-round series.

Nylander, who sat third in playoff scoring behind only Mikko Rantanen and Connor McDavid before puck drop at Amerant Bank Arena, is also just the second Leafs player in the last 30 years — Alexander Mogilny in 2003 is the other — to register five goals over a three-game span in the post-season.

"Very tenacious," Toronto captain Auston Matthews said. "His skill level and all that, everybody's seen that, but his focus level has been really good."

“He doesn’t feel pressure. There's no too big of stage for this guy. He thrives on this stuff in my opinion... And he doesn't want me to talk to him. So I just leave him alone."