Columbus is 23-20-1 all-time, and 10-11-0 at home vs. Toronto.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are at home to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight at Nationwide Arena.
The Maple Leafs come into Columbus a battered and broken team - Literally.
The Leafs come into Nationwide Arena 8th in the Atlantic and 16th in the East. That's right, you heard me. Dead last. They're 3-5-2 in their last 10 and lost their last game against Montreal back on November 22nd.
To make things worse for Toronto, they're 1-6-0 on the road this season and have been outscored 9-5 by the CBJ this season. The Jackets have also beaten the Leafs three straight times inside NWA, and they're missing some of their big boys like Matthews, Knies, and Roy.
With all that being said, the Maple Leafs can absolutely blow the doors off of Columbus if they're not careful. The Jackets are missing some of their big boys as well. Kirill Marchenko and Mathieu Olivier are out and being evaluated, while Zach Werenski, who left the game against Washington, is expected to play.
The Eastern Conference is a jumbled mess, with 10 teams within two points of one another. Columbus needs points any way they can get them.
Blue Jackets Stats
- Power Play - 17.0% - 23rd in the NHL
- Penalty Kill - 73.7% - 28th in the NHL
- Goals For - 66 - 22nd in the NHL
- Goals Against - 75 - 26th in the NHL
Maple Leafs Stats
- Power Play - 15.1% - 26th in the NHL
- Penalty Kill - 80% - 19th in the NHL
- Goals For - 74 - 6th in the NHL
- Goals Against - 82 - 29th in the NHL
Series History vs. The Maple Leafs
- Columbus is 23-20-1 all-time, and 10-11-0 at home vs. Toronto.
- The Jackets are 6-2 in the last 8 against the Maple Leafs, and have scored 5-plus goals in every win.
- The Blue Jackets have won three straight against Toronto at NWA.
- The CBJ are 2-0 against the Leafs this season.
Who To Watch For The Maple Leafs
- John Tavares leads the Leafs with 12 goals.
- William Nylander leads the team with 19 assists and 29 points.
- Goalie Joseph Woll is 1-2-1 with a SV% of .905. He last played on November 22 and lost.
CBJ Player Notes vs. Maple Leafs
- Zach Werenski has 20 points in 19 career games against Toronto.
- Charlie Coyle has 25 points in 32 games.
- Adam Fantilli has 8 points in 8 career games, including 2 goals and an assist on November 20th.
Injuries
- Erik Gudbranson - Upper Body - Missed 15 games - IR
- Boone Jenner - Upper Body - Missed 7 Games - IR
- Kirill Marchenko - Lower Body - Missed 1 Game
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 35
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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