The Toronto Maple Leafs slipped to another loss on Saturday, falling 3-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks as leading forward William Nylander remained without a shot. Toronto put 33 shots on goal but came up short, extending their difficult stretch and adding pressure on a roster already hit hard by injuries. Auston Matthews remains on injured reserve until at least November 22.Even with the injuries, the conversation around the team has shifted to players who are healthy but expected to do more. Nylander has been one of Toronto’s top producers (26 points) all season, yet his recent play has sparked criticism from NHL analysts.On Monday's FirstUp, Matthew Cauz pointed to Nylander’s lack of impact at a time when the team needs him most."William Nylander has two straight games without a shot on net, and on the backdrop of there's no Auston Matthews right now, more is needed from him," Cauz said."It's part of the reason why the power play was 0-for-3, and then defensively, we're not asking him to go out there and be sulky, but more work could have been done by him on the game-winning goal... That's not what he's there for."Carlo Colaiacovo agreed, calling the stretch “an inexcusable stat” for William Nylander, considering the Leafs are missing Matthews and need stronger pushes from their top forwards. "I mean, you need more from him [in Matthews' absence], and it's a surprise that with how good of a season he's having, statistically, in a time when he's needed more, that he finishes the games no shots on net," Colaiacovo said. "Like, that's, that's an inexcusable stat, if you ask me,"Colaiacovo noted that others like John Tavares and Nick Robertson have raised their play while Nylander has gone quiet.Toronto’s record dropped to 8-9-2 after the loss in Chicago. Their offense remains one of the strongest in the league at 3.53 goals per game, but defensive problems have kept them from building any real momentum. The team believes the pieces are still in place, but frustration is growing as the losses stack up.William Nylander stays upbeat as Leafs prepare for BluesDespite the criticism, William Nylander has kept a calm outlook. Speaking after the recent losses, he said the room is still consistent."I mean we’re losing but I think we’re feeling positive and hopefully trending in the right direction," Nylander said, via hockeynews.com.He added that the mood would shift only if the struggles continued "another month."Nylander has been one of Toronto’s most productive players this year. He has eight goals and 18 assists in 16 games, including 11 points in seven games in November. He is in the first year of his eight-year, $92 million contract, paying him an average of 11.5 million through the 2031-32 season.The Leafs now turn to their next game against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday at Scotiabank Arena. Toronto hopes Matthews’ return will stabilize the group, but for now, the focus remains on tightening their game and getting more consistent efforts from their top players. As the team tries to stop its skid, all eyes will again be on William Nylander to respond.