Key player out tonight for the Maple Leafs vs the Caps

Toronto learned on Friday that William Nylander will not dress against the Washington Capitals because of an illness, after sitting out Thursday's practice for maintenance.

TheLeafsNation reported that the issue is unrelated to his maintenance day, and that he becomes a straight scratch for this one.
That is a massive hole. Nylander, 29 years old and drafted eighth overall by Toronto in 2014, leads the Leafs with 11 goals and 31 points through 20 games, good for a blistering 1.55 points per night.

He has also been a quiet Caps killer over the years, with five goals and eight points in his last ten regular season games against Washington.

Meanwhile, the Capitals roll into Friday at 13-9-2, scoring 3.33 goals per game and fresh off a stretch where Alex Ovechkin dropped a four game goal streak capped by a hat trick in Montreal.

Earlier in the day, projected lineups had Nylander riding shotgun with John Tavares on Toronto's second line, but the late scratch means Dakota Joshua jumps in and the entire top nine gets squeezed.

Joseph Woll is confirmed to start again in goal after stealing a win Wednesday in Columbus.

Without Nylander carrying the puck over the line and running that half wall on the power play, Washington's penalty killers can cheat a little more toward Auston Matthews and the bumper looks.

At five on five, Dylan Strome's line should see plenty of Matthews, but Peter Laviolette can be more aggressive hunting secondary matchups, knowing Toronto's second unit has less high end skill tonight.

Winning those middle six minutes may matter more than shadowing one superstar.

On the Caps side, Logan Thompson only has to stare down one truly elite shooting threat instead of two, which simplifies Washington's defensive layers in front of him.

If the Caps stay disciplined, protect the slot, and keep Ovechkin's line humming off the rush, this is a game they absolutely should lean into.