Bounce-back win in Toronto.
Blue Jackets rookie forwards Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko each scored a goal and an assist as Columbus beat the Maple Leafs 4-3 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Saturday.
1st Period
William Nylander opened the scoring at 2:39 with a wrist shot from the left circle that beat Elvis Merzlikins' high-glove side.
#LeafsForever Nylander goal pic.twitter.com/lr8ZnwiEvP
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) February 12, 2023
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| TOR MAPLE LEAFS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Pierre Engvall nearly scored his second goal in as many nights against the Blue Jackets with a shot at 10:02 but it hit the post and was covered by Merzlikins.
Toronto doubled its lead at 10:40 when Michael Bunting blasted a shot past the short side of Merzlikins from the left circle.
#LeafsForever Bunting goal pic.twitter.com/qKOBeUnkcx
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) February 12, 2023
Bunting had a chance to score his second of the night at 15:41 with a shot from the left doorstep but Merzlikins made the save.
The Maple Leafs took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission with an 11-4 advantage in shots on goal.
2nd Period
Boone Jenner scored the Blue Jackets' first post-all-star game goal at 4:21 after finding a puck in the slot and firing a shot past Joseph Woll. Kirill Marchenko picked up his first-career assist on the goal.
#CBJ Jenner (15) goal pic.twitter.com/AeSGCn3EcW
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) February 12, 2023
The Maple Leafs nearly doubled their lead again at 6:51 with a shot by Alex Steeves but it hit the post and stayed out.
Merzlikins made a huge stop on Justin Holl from the right circle off a rebound at 9:58 to keep the Blue Jackets' deficit at one.
Toronto had a great chance to score a short-handed goal at 12:38 on a two-on-one rush but Merzlikins denied Calle Jarnkrok from the left circle, moving left to right to make the save.
Marchenko tied the game at 15:01, scoring a rebound from the doorstep following a shot by Jenner.
#CBJ Marchenko (14) goal pic.twitter.com/reqPF5CPAg
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) February 12, 2023
Sean Kuraly gave the Jackets their first lead of the night at 15:58, cleaning up a loose puck in the crease.
#CBJ Kuraly (10) goal pic.twitter.com/W1zG0aACM0
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) February 12, 2023
The Jackets took a 3-2 lead into the third period with a 25-21 edge in shots on goal.
3rd Period
Morgan Rielly tied the game at 1:20 on a power play, finishing a one-timer from the bottom of the right circle off a feed from Mitch Marner.
The Jackets re-took the lead at 5:46 when Kent Johnson, who was standing at the left doorstep, tipped a rising right-wing shot from Cole Sillinger.
#CBJ Johnson (11) goal pic.twitter.com/gWtLa4mK8W
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) February 12, 2023
The Maple Leafs pulled Woll in favor of an extra skater at 16:56, but couldn't score, as the Jackets won 4-3 and improved to 16-33-4.
Stats
- Shots on Goal: CBJ 40-30 TOR
- Faceoff %: CBJ 50.9-49.1 TOR
- Power play: CBJ 0/4-1/1 TOR
- Takeaways: CBJ 6-14 TOR
- Giveaways: CBJ 8-19 TOR
- Blocked shots: CBJ 15-19 TOR
- Hits: CBJ 40-21 TOR
-
5-on-5 stats (via naturalstattrick.com):
- Expected Goals (xG): CBJ 2.14-2.43 TOR
- Chances (CF): CBJ 54-47 TOR
- Shots (SF): CBJ 28-23 TOR
- Scoring Chances (SCF): CBJ 26-26 TOR
- High-Danger Chances (HDCF): CBJ 5-10 TOR
Injury Update
No players left tonight's game with injuries.
Next Up
The Blue Jackets return to Columbus to face the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.
The club finishes up its brief two-game home stand on Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets at 7 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.
