Auston Matthews marked his 700th NHL game with a goal and an assist, leading the Toronto Maple Leafs to a dominant 6-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. The Leafs absolutely exploded in the second period, ripping off four straight goals that left Columbus reeling and secured Toronto’s second road win of the season.
Toronto Drops The Hammer In The Second
Columbus actually drew first blood when Jake Christiansen snagged his first goal of the season just 2:38 into the first period. But Kirill Marchenko, facing a chorus of boos in his return to Columbus after being traded, silenced them with a power-play goal at 8:16 to tie it up. Columbus *thought* they had the lead back on a Kent Johnson one-timer, but the clock hit zero just before it crossed the line, wiping the goal off the board. Talk about a gut punch.
That missed opportunity set the stage for total Toronto domination in the second period. William Nylander got things started, and then Matthews piled on with another goal just 46 seconds later. Colton Sissons picked up an assist on Nylander’s goal, extending his own points streak to four games. Easton Cowan then scored a short-handed goal, pushing the lead to three, and Jack Roslovic made it 5-1 at 12:03, chasing Columbus goalie Jet Greaves from the net. The Blue Jackets are really struggling in that middle frame this season, getting outscored a staggering 15-3 in the second period through eight games. This loss marked their fourth in five games.
Matthews’ Milestone, Team Dominance
Matthews’ goal and assist were huge in his 700th game, adding to his impressive career numbers against the Blue Jackets: he now has 16 goals and 27 points in 21 career games against them. But it wasn’t just Matthews. Easton Cowan also had a goal and two assists, Jack Roslovic finished with a goal and two assists, and William Nylander chipped in a goal and an assist. Morgan Rielly was dishing dimes all night, tallying three assists. Kirill Marchenko and Marshall Rifai also lit the lamp for Toronto. Anthony Stolarz was a rock in net, stopping 33 shots to seal the win. Columbus did get another goal from Charlie Coyle, his first of the season, in the third period, but Rifai quickly answered to extend Toronto’s lead with 3:02 left to play. Greaves stopped 14 shots before getting pulled, and relief goalie Cam Talbot stopped two of the three shots he faced.
The Maple Leafs are set to host the New York Rangers on Thursday night, riding this wave of momentum. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets will be looking to stop the bleeding when they host Vegas on Saturday. This kind of second-period firepower from Toronto is a serious warning shot for the rest of the league.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply