Nylander endorses Matthews for Hart Trophy in Q&A with NHL.com

NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Sitting Down with ..." runs each Sunday. We talk to key figures in the game, gaining insight into their lives on and off the ice.
This edition features Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander.

HAMILTON, Ontario --William Nylander is one of Auston Matthews' biggest boosters when it comes to the race for the
Hart Trophy
awarded to the player voted as the most valuable in the NHL.
The forwards have been teammates with the Toronto Maple Leafs since Matthews was chosen with the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft. The fact that Nylander said he feels Matthews has taken his game to a higher level speaks volumes about the type of season the 24-year-old center is having.
"He's been the best I've ever seen him," Nylander said. "I think he's been the best player, both with the puck and without the puck. And he just seems to be getting better."
Matthews has scored an NHL-high 46 goals and leads the Maple Leafs with 79 points. But it's been his play in the defensive zone that has impressed Nylander the most.
"I think he's always done it," Nylander said. "And now, with him scoring all these goals, he still continues to do it, which is even more impressive."
Nylander has been impressive too. He's scored 58 points (23 goals, 35 assists) in 62 games, three from his NHL career high of 61 set in 2016-17 and equaled in 2017-18, for Toronto (39-18-5), which is third in the Atlantic Division.
NHL.com caught up with Nylander, son of retired NHL forward Michael Nylander, and talked about his productive season, his quest for domination on the ice, playing with John Tavares and the prospect of winning a Stanley Cup Playoff series for the first time in his career.
You had some impressive things to say about Auston, but you're having a career season too and are approaching a personal milestone for points. During the 2019 European Player Media Tour in Stockholm, Sweden, you told NHL.com you wanted to dominate every shift. How close are you coming to achieving that?
"I felt like I was pretty dialed [in] there for the first 45 games and kind of slipped up a bit, I don't know, like for 10 games maybe, before I got back onto [the] track there that I was on at the beginning of the season. Sometimes you have some slips during the season, and you want to get out of those."
How do you handle those slips while playing in a hockey fishbowl like Toronto, where there is so much white noise and everything gets magnified?
"You know what, you don't really look at stuff or whatever. If I play [well] I don't listen to the outside or care what's said. If I play bad, I don't care either. You just have to try to stay in your lane a little bit."
You certainly cared a lot about trying to beat the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup First Round last season. The pain on your face showed how much after they eliminated you in Game 7. How long did it take you to get over that?
"You know, it's tough. It's really, really tough. I mean, after the season, you feel really bad. I think we've lost three Game 7s in my time here. So those are really tough, especially in the (2019) Boston series when we were up in the series 3-2. Being up and losing, it just shows you how tight the game is. And obviously we've got to learn from that and remember what happened the previous years. I think every year we learn a little bit more about what's needed."
The Maple Leafs have not won a playoff series since 2004. Has the postseason adversity during your time in Toronto brought you guys closer as a team?
"Well, I think we've all been here as a group for quite a while now and I think everybody knows kind of how to respond to those situations and not to get worried about if we lose a couple. Just be focused on getting back to our game. And if we're winning, we still have to get past that first round. That's the ultimate goal and then go from there."
How do you look forward when you are constantly reminded in Toronto of past postseason failures?
"The past is the past. You learned from it and you forget about it. That's just how it is. You bring the good things and the negative things, and you try to build off those, so those things don't happen the next year. I think with all the experience that we keep getting I think it's just growing in our bank."
Finally, you've played on a line with John Tavares for the majority of the season. What has the experience of playing with the Maple Leafs captain taught you about him?
"He is an unbelievable competitor and so strong on the puck. And regardless if he's scoring or he's not, he's doing those things every night, which is what you look for in a leader. Obviously, a tremendous player. So he's been unbelievable to play with and I've learned a lot from him through my time with him."