What Happened
Toronto scored four unanswered goals in the second period to turn a tied game into a rout and beat Columbus 6-2 on Tuesday. William Nylander and Auston Matthews scored 46 seconds apart, Easton Cowan added a short-handed goal and Jack Roslovic made it 5-1, chasing Blue Jackets goaltender Jet Greaves. Matthews finished with a goal and an assist in his 700th NHL game. Anthony Stolarz stopped 33 shots for Toronto, which earned its second road victory of the season.
Key Details
- Matthews has 16 goals and 27 points in 21 career games against Columbus.
- Cowan and Roslovic each had a goal and two assists; Rielly had three assists.
- Christiansen opened the scoring at 2:38 of the first; Marchenko tied it on the power play at 8:16.
- Greaves allowed five goals on 19 shots; Talbot stopped two of three in relief.
- Columbus has been outscored 15-3 in second periods through eight games.
- A Kent Johnson goal was waved off because time had expired.
What It Means
The result extends a difficult stretch for Columbus, which has lost four of five and has been badly outscored in middle periods. Toronto's second-period surge decided the game, with depth scoring from Cowan and Roslovic supporting Matthews and Nylander. Marchenko, facing boos in his first game back in Columbus since the trade, scored Toronto's tying goal.