Columbus Blue Jackets centre Kent Johnson (91) celebrates his game winning goal with teammates Dmitri Voronkov (10) and Justin Danforth (17) during overtime NHL hockey action against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto on Dec. 14.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
Well, that was something.
Moribund for 40 minutes, the Maple Leafs scored five times in the third period on Thursday before losing to Columbus Blue Jackets 6-5 in overtime at Scotiabank Arena.
Kent Johnson scored with 1:34 left in extra time – his second goal of the evening – to give the visitors the victory. Elvis Merzlikins had 43 saves in the win.
Auston Matthews scored twice in 21 seconds to tie it at 5-5 with 44.4 seconds remaining in regulation with their own goalie, Ilya Samsonov, pulled for an extra attacker. The overtime was electrifying – end-to-end rushes and dramatic stops – before Johnson finally put it away.
With the loss, Toronto fell to 15-6-6. Columbus improved to 10-16-5.
Did you expect a somewhat easy Toronto victory over the 15th-best team out of 16 in the NHL’s Eastern Conference? If so, you probably also believed Shohei Ohtani was on a plane last Friday en route to Pearson Airport.
After playing well in two games in New York, the Maple Leafs stumbled through the first 40 minutes at home that, despite coming alive in the third period. Pulsating music and bright lights filled the arena along with a bad performance by the home team. Columbus scored three times in a span of six minutes in the second period at one point and boos – well deserved – filled the air.
It was 5-0 after 40 minutes and Toronto players were jeered en route to the dressing room.
For the most part things have been going so well for the Maple Leafs that their fans have not had much to complain about. Instead, their umbrage has been directed at Islanders’ followers for booing John Tavares every step of the way on Monday on Long Island and at the anthem singer for botching O Canada. (Other than not knowing the words and breezing through it cha-cha style in less than a minute, she was great.)
Well, now they have something to make them a little nuts.
Before the game, kids crowded the glass and waved signs at Toronto players. Two of the best: “Trade My Brother for a Puck” and “Hey Max [Domi], I Lost My Two Front Teeth Too.”
Columbus is last in the Metropolitan Division and entered Thursday with two wins in 13 games as the visitor. Then it went out and almost spanked a team that steamrolled the Rangers on Tuesday.
The Blue Jackets went ahead 1-0 with 13:41 left in the first period when Patrik Laine scored on a sharp wrist shot after receiving a crisp pass from Johnson directly in front of the Toronto net. They increased the lead to 2-0 six minutes later when Johnson tipped a shot by defenceman Andrew Peeke past Samsonov.
In between, Toronto’s big winger Ryan Reaves was helped off the ice with an apparent leg injury. Reaves lost his footing and banged into the boards and appeared to be in considerable pain.
The deficit would likely have been worse through 20 minutes if not for Samsonov’s play. He turned back a handful of dangerous chances, including a point-blank shot by Dmitri Voronkov and another by Johnny Gaudreau a half-minute apart.
That magic touch was gone by the end of the second period. By then Samsonov had allowed five in 26 attempts.
The wheels came off in the second when Justin Danforth, Yegor Chinakhov and Gaudreau each scored a few minutes apart.
Youth movement bringing optimism to Blue Jackets
Imagine for a moment that Gaudreau signed with the Maple Leafs two summers ago rather than with Columbus. Let me point out that Toronto showed no interest in him, but for the sake of this exercise let’s pretend it did.
Gaudreau is currently in the second season of a seven-year deal that pays him just under US$10-million annually. His goal on Thursday was only his fifth in 31 games and gives him 16 points. If that happened in Toronto to one of its stars, the faithful would be outside Scotiabank Arena with pitchforks and torches.
The meeting was the first of three between the teams and the first of three to be played in December. The Maple Leafs travel to Columbus on Dec. 23 and Dec. 29.
Toronto had earned a point in 11 of its preceding 13 meetings against Columbus but barely had a pulse for a majority of this one. William Nylander, Mitch Marner and Jake McCabe each had goals in the third before Matthews got his two.
It was the first contest in a three-game home stand, which continues on Saturday versus the Penguins and Tuesday against the Rangers. Both of those opponents would appear to offer more of a challenge than Columbus.