Nylander brothers relish 'special' opportunity to play together

William and Alex Nylander lived out a childhood dream Sunday.

The brothers took to the ice on the same NHL team for the first time in the Toronto Maple Leafs' win over Utah Hockey Club. The Nylanders are the fifth set of brothers to play a game together in Maple Leafs history, and the first since Peter and Miroslav Ihnacak did so in 1987.

"The entire day was special," William said. "Seeing him out there, the first period felt pretty crazy. Then settled in and it felt more normal. It was very special and, of course, we got the win which was nice."

Even though they weren't on the same line, coach Craig Berube threw the brothers over boards together on a handful of occasions, including on William's game-winning goal.

"I got a few shifts with him, so that was really special," Alex said postgame, per TSN. "Nice goal he had, I had a good seat for that to see him go five-hole there. Just enjoying the whole day. It was really good to see how he prepares and how different we are, actually, when we get to the rink."

He added: "It's something I'll remember forever."

William moved into sole possession of 11th place on Toronto's all-time goals list with his 231st career tally. He's now tied for fourth in the NHL with 14 goals this season.

Alex, meanwhile, made his Maple Leafs debut after the club signed him to an NHL contract and recalled him from the AHL on Friday. He recorded two shots in 10:37 of action and rang one off the post.

"Incredibly proud. He deserves it," William said of Alex's promotion. "He had a great year last year when he was in Columbus."

Alex recorded 11 goals and four assists in 23 outings with the Blue Jackets last season. He also suited up in five contests for the Pittsburgh Penguins but was held pointless.

William and Alex were both drafted eighth overall, in 2014 and 2016, respectively. They last played together for one game at the 2016 World Junior Championship for Sweden before William got hurt and missed the remainder of the tournament.