Toronto Maple Leafs left winger Michael Bunting (58) scrambles for the puck in front of Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (90) during second period NHL action on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023 in Toronto. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jon Blacker
TORONTO – Joseph Woll waited a long time for his first home start with the Maple Leafs.
The Blue Jackets spoiled the moment Saturday after Toronto inexplicably took its foot off the gas against the NHL’s worst team.
Kent Johnson scored the winner in the third period as last-place Columbus fought back from an early 2-0 deficit and responded after giving up a 3-2 lead to down the listless Leafs 4-3 and split a back-to-back.
“Outworked, outplayed,” Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said of his team’s second period that saw the Blue Jackets grab a 21-10 shot advantage and score three times.
He then added of the visitors’ surge: “Effort, competitiveness.”
Keefe pointedly addressed his players, who tied the game early in the third on a power play, during the second intermission.
“They’ve got to make the decision how important it is,” he said. “That’s really it.”
Boone Jenner and Kirill Marchenko, with a goal and an assist each, and Sean Kuraly provided the rest of the offence for Columbus (16-33-4), which got 26 saves from Elvis Merzlikins. Johnson added an assist for a two-point night of his own.
The importance of a surprising victory for an injury-ravaged roster on national TV wasn’t lost on Blue Jackets head coach Brad Larsen.
“I grew up (watching) ‘Hockey Night in Canada,'” said the Armstrong, B.C., product. “We had the old antenna. I think we had three channels.
“It sticks with you. It means a lot to you as a Canadian-born guy.”
William Nylander, with a goal and an assist, Michael Bunting and Morgan Rielly replied for Toronto (32-14-8). Mitch Marner added two assists.
“We just stopped playing,” Nylander said.
Woll made 36 stops for the Leafs in his first appearance of the season.
“Pretty awesome atmosphere to play in,” said the 24-year-old. “Special playing in front of our home crowd.”
After Rielly tied the game 3-3 on a 4-on-3 man advantage with his second goal of the season early in the third, Johnson put the Blue Jackets back in front five minutes later when he redirected Cole Sillinger’s shot past Woll for his 11th.
Toronto pulled Woll with three minutes remaining, but Columbus held on for just its second regulation victory in 11 games.
The Leafs led 2-0 through 20 minutes and appeared to be cruising to an easy victory before putting in perhaps their worst period of the season in a sleepy second.
“Didn’t compete,” Rielly said. “They outworked, out-chanced us.”
Jenner got the visitors on the board at 4:21 when he snapped home his 15th before Marchenko buried his 14th to tie it 2-2 with 4:59 left in the period.
The rookie then picked up his first assist of the campaign on Kuraly’s go-ahead goal 57 seconds later.
“There’s plenty of good players in this league on teams all over, up and down the standings,” said Rielly, whose group has a history of struggles against some of the NHL’s lesser lights. “If you don’t play well, and you don’t play your structure and play hard and compete, they’re going to make you pay.”
The Leafs, who blanked the Blue Jackets 3-0 on Friday, opened the scoring early in the first when Nylander ripped his 29th before Bunting pinged his 16th in off the crossbar.
Then the wheels fell off in the second.
“Tough one,” Toronto captain John Tavares said. “Have to definitely look at this one and understand the way we have to be for 60 minutes.”
The door opened for Woll to serve as Ilya Samsonov’s understudy after Matt Murray went down with an ankle injury.
Woll played four times for the Leafs last season – all on the road – and might have been called up earlier in the current schedule when both goalies were sidelined, but didn’t make his debut in the AHL until late November as he worked his way back from shoulder surgery.
The 62nd pick at the 2016 NHL draft, who also suffered an ankle injury while rehabbing, has been near-perfect in the minors since getting back to full health.
Woll is 13-1-0 with a .930 save percentage and a 2.36 goals-against average with the Toronto Marlies, and was the top goalie in the recent AHL skills competition.
“Unfortunately we didn’t get the win for them,” Woll said of Saturday’s Scotiabank Arena crowd.
“But definitely an experience I’ll remember.”
WILLY STYLES
Nylander hit the 60-point mark for the fourth time in his career. The 26-year-old is on pace to crack 90 points for the first time since entering the league in 2015-16.
JOHNNY’S BEEN GOOD
Columbus winger Johnny Gaudreau picked up an assist in the second period to give him 50 points in 53 games – the quickest a player has reached the half-century mark in franchise history.
UP NEXT
Maple Leafs: Host Chicago on Wednesday.
Blue Jackets: Host New Jersey on Tuesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 11, 2023.
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