Tavares missed Toronto's home opener on Saturday and it's up in the air whether Nylander plays on Wednesday.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are dealing with a flu bug that's found its way into the dressing room.
First, it was John Tavares who was hit with it, forcing him to miss Toronto's home opener inside Scotiabank Arean on Saturday night. The 34-year-old was also absent from Monday's practice before returning to the ice with the team on Tuesday.
But as the Maple Leafs took to the ice on Tuesday, William Nylander was absent, with what Toronto head coach Craig Berube says is also a bug. Matter of fact, there have been several players who've been hit with it, but Tavares and Nylander were hit pretty hard.
"We've had more guys with it too, but they were able to keep going," Berube said after practice on Tuesday. "So, got to watch for it. Great to see JT out there today."
Berube added that the team's unsure if Nylander will play on Wednesday against the L.A. Kings.
"Well, that's up in the air right now. We'll see how he feels later on. I'll find out more later. But, yeah, hopefully he's fine. We'll see."
A similar bug went through the team last March when the team wasn't sure if they could ice a full lineup. Former Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe even left the door open for Joel Edmundson to play after he was acquired by Toronto in a trade.
Edmundson wasn't supposed to arrive until closer to puck drop. In the end, Toronto was able to ice a full lineup and the defenseman wasn't forced to play.
Tavares spoke after practice on Tuesday about what he's been through over the last few days. The 34-year-old said he felt the flu coming on during the team's game in New Jersey on Thursday — where he scored Toronto's fourth goal of the game — but not to the point where he felt "extremely" ill.
"But certainly, once we landed back home and I was driving back to my house and getting ready for bed, I can notice that things were really starting to come on pretty strongly," Tavares said.
"So, yeah, I just obviously just played and managed the way you're feeling and the importance of how you have to go out there and play and execute and all that. But it really kind of came on strong once I got home."
He added that it was not a stomach virus and more so a flu, which made him lose weight in the process.
"Yeah, it's been a battle for a few days, so unfortunately that's the way it goes sometimes. Still kind of coming around and just getting my energy back. Lost a little bit of weight too, so that's been improving and getting better," he said.
"Obviously I haven't been on the ice in a few days, so just getting back out there today with the guys was great. I had a lot of fun, but certainly, you notice the difference when you're battling an illness and then when you've been off the ice for a few days. So it's important to do everything you need to do to be ready to play."
When a flu bug like this goes through a team, you often find yourself asking what the players do to protect themselves from it. Max Pacioretty, who has five children of his own, admits that if the bug is going to get you, it's going to get you.
"I've got five kids, so I go home and, yeah," he said with a smile, "if you're going to get it, you're going to get it. That's my philosophy."
