Columbus is 21-20-1-0, and 9-11-0-0 at home all-time vs. the Leafs.
The Columbus Blue Jackets take on the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight at Nationwide Arena.
The Maple Leafs come into Columbus having won their last two games against the Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames. They sport a 5-4-1 record and have yet to really take off. Luckily for the Leafs, the entire Atlantic Division from 1 to 8 is within 4 points of one another, so they really don't have anything to worry about just yet.
Forward John Tavares currently sits at 499 career goals, so look for him to score in this one. When it comes to the CBJ and going against players who are looking for milestones, you can go ahead and pencil the goal in for tonight.
The Blue Jackets have a modest two game win streak going into this one, having beat the Penguins and Sabres in the last two. The Jackets have been excellent on the road, but need to get themselves going at home, and soon. They're 1-3 at home and need to give the rabid crowd at NWA something to cheer about, and what better way to do it than to send the Leafs home with a loss. It's quite possible that the usual Toronto takeover of Nationwide could be delayed due to the MLB's Blue Jays being in the World Series. The series is tied at 2-2, and the game will be start at around 8 PM eastern.
The Jackets are currently 6th in the Metro, 11th in the East, and 20th in the NHL.
Blue Jackets Stats
- Power Play - 19.1% - 21st in NHL
- Penalty Kill - 63.3% - 32nd in NHL
- Goals For - 28 - 22nd in NHL
- Goals Against - 28 - 13th in NHL
Maple Leafs Stats
- Power Play - 14.8% - 27th in NHL
- Penalty Kill - 82.1% - 12th in NHL
- Goals For - 35 - 8th in NHL
- Goals Against - 36 - 25th in NHL
Series History vs. Maple Leafs
- Columbus is 21-20-1-0, and 9-11-0-0 at home all-time vs. the Leafs.
- The CBJ have won 4 of the last 6 games in the series.
- The Jackets went 2-1 against Toronto last season, with the winning team scoring 5-plus goals in each game.
Who To Watch For The Maple Leafs
- William Nylander leads the Leafs with 12 assists and 15 points.
- John Tavares leads the team with 5 goals and currently sits at 499 career goals.
- Auston Matthews has 5 goals and 8 points.
- Cayden Primeau is 2-0-0 with a SV% of .875
CBJ Player Notes vs. Maple Leafs
- Zach Werenski has 15 points, all assists in 17 games against the Leafs. He has never scored a goal against Toronto.
- Sean Monahan has 18 points in 28 games.
- Boone Jenner has 13 points in 25 games vs. the Leafs.
Injuries - None on IR
- Erik Gudbranson - Back tightness
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 10
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FanDuel Sports Network. Steve Mears will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.
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