COLUMBUS — The Columbus Blue Jackets were hoping to get their offense going Tuesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Instead, they watched another game get away from them, this time in spectacular fashion.
Toronto scored four unanswered goals in the second period and cruised to a 6-2 victory at Nationwide Arena, handing Columbus its second consecutive loss and dropping the Blue Jackets to 3-5-0.
Columbus outshot Toronto 35-22 but failed to score on any of its six power plays. The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, needed just nine shots in the second period to score four goals, including one while shorthanded.
The Blue Jackets actually got off to a good start, but a horrific second period turned a competitive matchup into another frustrating loss.
A Promising Start Disappears
Columbus opened the scoring just 2:38 into the first period when Jake Christiansen scored his first goal of the season, with assists from Dmitri Voronkov and Valeri Nichushkin.
It was exactly the kind of start the Blue Jackets needed after scoring just twice in their previous two games.
But Toronto responded at 8:16 when former Columbus forward Kirill Marchenko, playing his first game back in Nationwide Arena since September's trade, scored a power-play goal. Auston Matthews and William Nylander assisted, sending the teams into the first intermission tied at 1-1.
The second period was an entirely different story.
Toronto Takes Over
Nylander gave the Maple Leafs their first lead just 2:26 into the second period, beating Columbus for his sixth goal of the season.
Only 46 seconds later, Matthews scored to make it 3-1.
The Blue Jackets had barely recovered from those two goals when Easton Cowan added another at 6:48, scoring shorthanded to extend Toronto's advantage to three goals.
Jack Roslovic, another former Blue Jacket, added Toronto's fourth goal of the period at 12:03, making it 5-1.
In less than 10 minutes, Columbus had gone from a tie game to trailing by four. Cam Talbot surrendered five goals on 19 shots before being replaced by Jet Greaves.
The shorthanded goal was mind-numbing for a team already struggling to find consistent offense. Rather than using a power play to get back into the game, the Blue Jackets allowed Toronto to extend its lead.
And the problems weren't limited to that one opportunity. Columbus went 0-for-6 with the man advantage, wasting several chances to cut into Toronto's lead.
Of course, the single most frustrating thing had to be all the former Blue Jackets repeatedly punishing Columbus all night long.
Too Little, Too Late
Columbus finally scored again at 4:13 of the third period when Charlie Coyle recorded his first goal of the season, with assists from Emil Andrae and Damon Severson.
The goal cut Toronto's lead to 5-2, but the Blue Jackets couldn't produce another comeback.
Marshall Rifai scored his first goal of the season at 16:58, restoring Toronto's four-goal advantage and completing the 6-2 final.
Anthony Stolarz and the Maple Leafs held off Columbus despite being outshot by 13. The Blue Jackets finished with 35 shots on goal, but only Christiansen and Coyle managed to find the back of the net.
Columbus has now scored four goals over its last three games, going 1-2-0 during that stretch. While the offense continues to struggle, Tuesday's defensive performance raised another set of concerns.
Allowing six goals on just 22 shots isn't going to win many hockey games, regardless of how many scoring opportunities the offense creates.
What's Next
The Blue Jackets remain home for their next game, hosting the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, October 24, at Nationwide Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
