In Columbus, the Toronto Maple Leafs scored three goals in the first period, and appeared on their way to a breezy win over the Blue Jackets.
Columbus responded with three goals to tie the game, but Toronto had the answer with two goals before Patrik Laine scored for Columbus to cut the final score to 5-4, for the Leafs.
The Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews hit for his 40th goal of the season.
“The start that we had was really positive,” Matthews said. “We let them back in the game, but I thought our bench and our team as a whole just stayed poised and confident and we just kept playing and scored a couple of big goals to give ourselves a lead.”
Petr Mrazek made 31 saves in the Toronto win.
Sean Kuraly, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Jack Roslovic scored to rally the Blue Jackets to the tie.
“I know where we’re at here (in the standings),” Columbus coach Brad Larsen said. “We need the two points, but it was a step for us tonight against a really good team to stay in it and work ourselves back into the game. Unfortunately, they got a couple there in the third.”
After the Blue Jackets tied it, 3-3, Alexander Kerfoot and Michael Bunting restored the Maple Leafs lead at 5-3.
“I think our line’s meshed pretty well,” Bunting said . “We’ve built some good chemistry and I’ve had a little bit of success offensively, and I’m just trying to keep rolling with them.”
The Maple Leafs improved to 36-16-4.
“That’s not how you want to start against a team like that,” Columbus’ Max Domi said. “They were hungry. But focusing on us, we knew we had to come out of the gates flying in the second to bounce back and outwork them, match their intensity at the very least, and I thought we did a good job of that. We’ll take that as a positive.”
Mitchell Marner and Ilya Mikheyev also scored for Toronto.
“I liked a lot about our game,” Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said. “I don’t like the start of the second period, that goal they scored early. That’s a little downer on the game for me, but obviously, our first period was as good as we can ask for. You want to follow and build on it, but that’s the disappointing part of the game.”
Elvis Merzlikins made 28 saves in the Columbus loss.
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