Toronto 4, Columbus 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 23, 2023
Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Referees:
Brandon Blandina, Peter MacDougall
Linesmen:
Tyson Baker, James Tobias
Attendance:
17806
By Field Level Media
Auston Matthews scored twice and added an assist while William Nylander had one goal and two helpers as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the host Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1 on Saturday.
John Tavares had the other goal for the Leafs, and Martin Jones made 27 saves to improve to 3-0-0 on the road this season. With the win, Toronto avoided a third straight loss and picked up its fifth win in its past six trips to Columbus.
Justin Danforth had the lone Blue Jackets goal, and Daniil Tarasov stopped 26 shots in his third start of the season.
Toronto opened the scoring on Matthews' 27th goal of the season. The Leafs center one-timed a Mitchell Marner feed past Tarasov at 8:20 of the opening period.
Columbus tied the game 1-1 22 seconds into the second period when Johnny Gaudreau sent Danforth in all alone, and the Blue Jackets forward beat Jones high glove side for his eighth marker of the season.
Tavares gave Toronto a 2-1 lead at 2:58 of the middle period, spinning around Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson and beating Tarasov blocker side for his 10th goal.
Matthews made it 3-1 on a power play, one-timing a Marner feed past Tarasov for his league-leading 28th goal of the season at 8:21 of the middle frame. Matthews has goals in seven straight games.
Nylander made it 4-1 short-handed, beating Tarasov high glove side for his 16th marker of the campaign at 11:51 of the third. With his three points on Saturday, Nylander has four goals and 14 assists during an 11-game point streak.
Blue Jackets center Sean Kuraly left the game with 18 seconds remaining in the first period and did not return. Kuraly was hit by Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe behind the Toronto net and then took a puck to the chest area before skating off the ice bent over.
Kuraly collapsed behind the Columbus bench. The team announced that Kuraly suffered an abdominal injury and was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Toronto |
|
Columbus |
|
Auston Matthews 3 |
Points |
Justin Danforth 1 |
|
Auston Matthews 2 |
Goals |
Justin Danforth 1 |
|
William Nylander 2 |
Assists |
Adam Fantilli 1 |
|
Auston Matthews 1 |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
William Nylander 1 |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Martin Jones .964 |
Save Percentage |
Daniil Tarasov .867 |
|
Martin Jones 27 |
Saves |
Daniil Tarasov 26 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Toronto
|
30 |
4 |
1-2 |
4-4 |
12 |
29 |
| Columbus
|
28 |
1 |
0-4 |
1-2 |
8 |
24 |
Upcoming Games
-
Columbus will play their next game on the road against New Jersey. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .167 after a win and .391 after a loss.
-
Toronto will play their next game at home against Ottawa. The Maple Leafs have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .600 after a loss.
For more information, contact us