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William Nylander is closing in on his debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 4 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against Boston on Saturday.

The Leafs trail the Bruins 2-1 in the best-of-seven.

Friday, the winger spoke with reporters for the first time since being sidelined by an undisclosed injury two weeks ago. The mystery ailment has held Nylander out of Toronto’s lineup for the first three postseason tilts against Boston and he’s been diligently working to get back in.

Nylander was a full participant in the Leafs’ practice on Friday, skating on a regular line with Pontus Holmberg and Calle Jarnkrok and taking reps on Toronto’s first power play unit. Both are signs that Toronto is preparing to have Nylander for Saturday’s game.

“We’ll see,” Nylander surmised of his potential availability. “I don’t know [for sure].”

Coach Sheldon Keefe remained optimistic Nylander was finally ready to go after an engaging practice session.

“He looked great to me on the ice,” said Keefe. “In terms of his status, we’ll have to determine that [on Saturday].”

Details of Nylander’s injury have been strictly guarded by the Leafs so far. Nylander followed suit when asked to confirm media reports he’s been dealing with migraines.

“That’s just personal, so I’m not going to get into that,” he said.

Nylander wasn’t worried either about stepping back into a series that’s been in full swing for a week either, citing there was “nothing” difficult ahead for him in a potential return on Saturday.

“I’ve been skating and everything; I’m fine,” said Nylander. “It is what it is. There’s nothing to really stress about. You can’t force yourself back into the game, so I’ll be ready when I’m ready.”

Toronto could use a boost like Nylander coming back heading into Game 4. He was a 40-goal scorer in the regular season with an impressive playoff resume (having collected 40 points in 50 previous postseason outings). Adding an offensive weapon like that to the mix can help the Leafs solve their scoring issues. Toronto’s managed six goals in the first three games against Boston and their misfiring power play is 1-for-11.

Having Nylander as an option makes the Leafs immediately more dangerous at both 5-on-5 and special teams. That’s paramount for Toronto’s hopes of tying the series again before it goes back to Boston for Game 5 on Tuesday.

The Bruins have been changing things up in their crease throughout the playoffs to date, rotating between Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark as they did with good success in the regular season.

Boston coach Jim Montgomery wouldn’t confirm his Game 4 goaltender after Swayman backstopped the Bruins to wins in Game 1 and Game 3, but there’s a chance it’ll be Linus Ullmark getting the call despite Boston falling in his last Game 2 start.

“We’re following the plan we had in place,” said Montgomery, while confirming the decision has already been made.

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First-place Phillies to use 6 SPs with Nola return

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First-place Phillies to use 6 SPs with Nola return

WASHINGTON — Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Thursday that he will utilize a six-man rotation beginning this weekend when Aaron Nola returns from the injured list.

Nola is lined up for the series finale Sunday at Washington. The 32-year-old right-hander is coming back from a right ankle sprain.

Left-hander Ranger Suárez takes the mound Monday against the Mariners. The NL East leaders also have ace right-hander Zack Wheeler, lefties Cristopher Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo and right-hander Taijuan Walker.

Thomson said he isn’t sure how long he is going to use the six-man rotation.

“Once for sure and then we’ve got some other ideas how to attack this thing as we move forward,” he said.

Philadelphia starters lead the majors with 687⅓ innings pitched. Sánchez is up to 150⅔ innings, and Wheeler is at 144⅔.

“Just getting some of these guys some extra rest ’cause we’ve been grinding on them pretty hard all year,” Thomson said before the opener of a four-game set against the Nationals. “The one downside to it is you’ve got to take somebody out of your bullpen, so you’re a little short there but we’ll just have to figure it out.”

Nola hasn’t pitched in the majors since May 14. He posted a 2.19 ERA in three rehab starts with Triple-A Lehigh Valley while striking out 17 batters in 12⅓ innings.

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Padres put King back on IL, this time for knee

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Padres put King back on IL, this time for knee

The San Diego Padres placed right-hander Michael King on the 15-day injured list Thursday because of left knee inflammation.

King (4-2, 2.81 ERA) had just come off the IL on Saturday, allowing two runs in as many innings of a no-decision against the Boston Red Sox.

It was his first start since May 18 as he dealt with shoulder inflammation.

Now, he’s back on the IL with a knee issue in a move retroactive to Monday.

It’s a setback for a red-hot Padres team, who will carry a five-game winning streak into a weekend showdown against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. First-place San Diego is one game ahead of L.A. in the NL West.

King had been scheduled to start the series opener Friday.

In the corresponding roster move, the Padres recalled right-hander Randy Vásquez from Triple-A El Paso.

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Fire up the grill: Brewers free burger promo Wed.

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Fire up the grill: Brewers free burger promo Wed.

While the Milwaukee Brewers keep on rolling, another Wisconsin business is stocking up on beef and buns.

For the third time in its history, George Webb Restaurants will make good on its promise of giving away free hamburgers as part of a longstanding promotion to celebrate the Brewers winning 12 consecutive games.

The free burger giveaway will be held Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. CT at all 23 of the restaurant’s locations throughout Wisconsin. Vouchers for a burger at a later date will be available at all locations starting Friday.

“Hungry fans are welcome to stop by any location for a free, juicy burger and some camaraderie with fellow baseball fans,” the restaurant said on its website.

Starting way back in the 1940s, when Milwaukee was home to the minor league Brewers of the old American Association, George Webb promised free burgers if the local baseball team won 17 consecutive games.

The promotion dropped to 13 games by the time the Braves made Milwaukee a big league city in 1953, but that franchise couldn’t make it happen before departing for Atlanta in 1966.

George Webb changed the promotion to 12 games when the Brewers moved from Seattle in 1970. In 1987, the Brewers opened the season with 13 wins in a row, and more than 170,000 burgers were given away to mark the occasion.

The Brewers accomplished the feat a second time in 2018, closing the regular season with eight victories followed by four playoff wins. That streak led to 90,000 free burgers being given away in addition to 100,000 redeemable vouchers.

Prior to reaching the magic mark on Wednesday, the Brewers had come close on a few occasions, including an 11-game winning streak earlier this season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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