In order to slow down the high-flying Toronto Maple Leafs, a total team effort and commitment to all three zones is the first and foremost requirement. The Blue Jackets, starting a pivotal stretch in their schedule, got that Monday night at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
They were in shooting lanes, clogging the slot and making life difficult on the Maple Leafs forwards all night long, and got a pair of second-period goals to support Sergei Bobrovsky in a huge 2-1 victory. Bobrovsky, who struggled at times during his first two starts after the Olympics, was spectacular on this night and kept things cool in the Columbus end of the rink. He made 28 saves – 11 of those coming in the third period – and was only beaten by a rocket slap shot from Mason Raymond with just under five minutes to play.
But it was the second period, a frame that’s bitten the Jackets at times this season, that fueled them to two points Monday.
A long shift in the Toronto zone allowed the Jackets to out-change the Leafs, and Derek MacKenzie found the puck low in the zone and fed it up top to Dalton Prout at the right point. A wired slapper through traffic beat James Reimer far side and put the Jackets in front, but the second goal was equally impressive.
Nikita Nikitin walked the left point and sent a perfect shot-pass down low to Artem Anisimov, who buried his 16th of the season to make it 2-0 Columbus at 12:38 of the second period.
For the most part, the Blue Jackets managed the game efficiently and only gave the Leafs two power play chances – both coming in the first period. The one lowlight for Columbus was an injury to Ryan Murray in the first period; Richards updated post-game and said he doesn’t believe the injury to be serious, but that Murray could miss some time.
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