Nylander humble about 3rd straight 40-goal season: 'What I'm paid to do'

William Nylander feels his two-goal, four-point effort in the Toronto Maple Leafs' blowout victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday was just another day at the office.

Nylander hit the 40-goal mark for the third consecutive season in the win, but he wasn't hung up on any milestones afterward.

"Just trying to do what I'm paid to do," Nylander said. "That's it."

Nylander's in the first campaign of the eight-year, $92-million extension he signed last season. His $11.5-million cap hit is tied for the sixth-highest in the NHL.

The 28-year-old became only the second Swede to notch three 40-goal seasons in a row, joining former Vancouver Canucks captain Markus Naslund. While proud of the achievement, Nylander's attention is elsewhere.

"My focus is only on the playoffs right now," Nylander said. "It's obviously fun to accomplish that, playing with great players. But what matters is the playoffs."

The Maple Leafs are tied with the Florida Panthers atop the Atlantic Division, but seeding is far from guaranteed - the third-place Tampa Bay Lightning are only two points back.

Nylander has been one of Toronto's top playoff producers during his career, registering 32 points in 34 games over the past five springs. The Maple Leafs are stuck on one series win during the Nylander-Auston Matthews-Mitch Marner era, despite qualifying each year since the trio broke into the league in 2016-17.