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17–7–2 (36 points; .692%) ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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7:00 P.M. – TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7 SCOTIABANK ARENA TORONTO, ONTARIO, CA |
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BALLY SPORTS OHIO ESPN |
Choose to remember it fondly, and Scotiabank Arena is the venue that hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets elimination of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2019-20 postseason.
Choose to remember it for what happened next, and there's a certain five-overtime game that may be less-fondly remembered.
Tuesday, the Blue Jackets face the Maple Leafs in Columbus' return to Toronto — and Canada — for the first time since the 2019-20 season came to an end in the playoff bubble.
The Blue Jackets come into the game two nights after an offensive outburst Sunday evening in a 6-4 win over the San Jose Sharks to snap Columbus' four-game losing streak. Toronto, meanwhile, is back home for the first of three games on the heels of dropping a pair of road games in Minnesota and Winnipeg.
| BLUE JACKETS | MAPLE LEAFS | |
|---|---|---|
| 3.22 | GOALS FOR | 3.08 |
| 3.26 | GOALS AGAINST | 2.35 |
| 20.0% | POWER PLAY | 25.7% |
| 84.1% | PENALTY KILL | 82.4% |
| 29.6 | SHOTS FOR | 34.5 |
| 34.4 | SHOTS AGAINST | 31.2 |
| 50.9% | FACEOFF WINS | 55.0% |
| 30.1% | MONEYPUCK'S ODDS TO WIN | 69.9% |
| 33.0% | THE 538'S ODDS TO WIN | 67.0% |
| 92.3 | 82-GAME POINT PACE | 113.5 |
Know The Foe
After a slow start, the Maple Leafs are having no problem scoring goals. Toronto is scoring an average of 4.57 goals in their last seven games, and have scored at least three times in all seven games — even in the two losses during that stretch.
It's been the usual suspects putting the puck in for the Leafs — Auston Matthews leads the team with 15 goals, John Tavares is second with 11, and William Nylander is right behind him at 10. The combined 36 goals make up 45% of Toronto's 80 goals this season. The trio also leads the team in points, with winger Mitch Marner in fourth.
After going seven consecutive starts allowing two goals or less, Toronto goalie Jack Campbell has allowed three goals in each of his last two starts. Despite that, the former Los Angeles King has a sub-two goals against average at 1.78, and a league-leading (minimum five starts) save percentage of .942. If the race for the Vezina were called today, Campbell would certainly be a finalist.
Storylines
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BE SMART
The Maple Leafs don't mess around when they have the man-advantage. Four power play goals in their last two games has boosted their conversion rate to 25.7% on the season, fifth best in the league. They're not afraid to let it rip, either — their 34.5 shots per game also ranks fifth, and at 34.4, Columbus allows the second-most shots per game across the NHL. Avoiding sloppy play and keeping possession of the puck always goes a long way towards two points, but is particularly important against a team like Toronto.
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WAS IT A MIRAGE?
The Blue Jackets scored six goals in their four road losses, then came back to Nationwide Arena and promptly scored six times in one game. Of course that's how it would go. Which Columbus offense shows up Tuesday? They seem to play a safer and less aggressive style of game on the road, and in the five games they've scored one goal or less, four have come on the road — including both times they've been shutout. But they've also put up 5+ goals three times in just 11 road games this season, so who knows? It's a real Jekyll & Hyde with this group away from Columbus.
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HOW MANY GOALS WILL ADAM BOQVIST SCORE?
He's had two multi-goal games in his last five and is on pace to mutilate Zach Werenski's club record for goals by a defenseman. If the 21-year-old Boqvist can stay healthy the rest of the season (he missed seven games with an undisclosed injury early in the season), he's on pace for 28 goals this season — nearly 50% more than Werenski's 20 goals (in 63 games) two seasons ago. There's some work to do defensively, which comes first, but it is damn fun to watch this kid shoot the puck.Projected Lines*
LW C RW 93 Jakub Voracek 38 Boone Jenner 28 Oliver Bjorkstrand 14 Gustav Nyquist 34 Cole Sillinger 16 Max Domi 50 Eric Robinson 7 Sean Kuraly 42 Alexandre Texier 59 Yegor Chinakhov 96 Jack Roslovic 17 Justin Danforth LD RD 8 Zach Werenski 22 Jake Bean 44 Vladislav Gavrikov 2 Andrew Peeke 5 Gavin Bayreuther 27 Adam Boqvist Starting Goalie Backup 90 Elvis Merzlikins 40 Daniil Tarasov *subject to change
