More than one Maple Leaf said this was a game lost right in front of both nets.
Toronto couldn’t convert and the Columbus Blue Jackets rarely missed on a porous defence and a shaky Dennis Hildeby in the 5-1 thrashing, with winger Matthew Knies injured to boot.
Our takeaways:
THAT HURTS
While coach Craig Berube stays consistent about not revealing injury details, “I’ll know more tomorrow,” he said of Knies’s upper body condition, it would be tough to lose another offensive star just when he was rolling.
Auston Matthews never got into consistent Rocket Richard Trophy form after missing two stretches with his upper body issue and is only now on a five-game goal streak. Second-line centre John Tavares is out, replaced by light scorer Pontus Holmberg. Left winger Max Pacioretty has just gone on injured reserve a second time.
Knies had 12 points in his past nine games as the physical force with Matthews and Mitch Marner.
If Knies does miss at least Saturday in Ottawa, it could be the Leafs first look at 22-year-old Jacob Quillan the forward called up from the Marlies Wednesday morning for Pacioretty.
“You never want to see a guy go down,” Matthews said of his fellow Arizonan Knies. “I didn’t see what happened (on the hit), but you’re obviously hoping for the best.”
CLEAN-UP ON AISLE 19
Hildeby had to shoulder the blame for four goals on 18 shots, but the guys can’t score and he certainly wasn’t getting the quality defensive assistance that Joseph Woll had received in his three-game win streak.
“Two of (Columbus’s markers) we had the puck right behind (the Leafs’ own) goal line,” grumped Berube. “We can’t allow guys to come out, can’t lose those battles.”
But the coach was more miffed that the Leafs lost their bearings in driving the net, especially on three power plays that included the fifth short-handed goal against his team this year. Morgan Rielly said he could have done more to take Adam Fantilli wide on that play, while Hildeby admitted he didn’t get square to the puck as he dropped too early to expose the top half of the net. Fantilli, No. 19, went on to have a hat trick.
ROCK ‘EM, SOCK ‘EM
Ryan Reaves finally got his first fight of the year in, obliged by a very tough customer in Columbus’s Mathieu Olivier. Reaves, who turned 38 this week, did not speak after the game, but Matthews didn’t mind some pointed commentary about the scrap.
“It was great,” declared the captain. “(Fighting) is still part of the game and he’s still a big part of this team.
“You love to see that, but I’d have liked to see more energy from the crowd after that. It was a little quiet tonight, especially after two guys like that go at it. But it was a great moment for him to give us a little energy on the bench.”
Reaves gave Olivier a little ‘thank you’ pat after they were finally separated from their roundhouse exchanges. Such is the fighter’s ‘code’, but say what you will, a fired-up Reaves played a strong game after and nearly scored.
X: @sunhornby