Two top goalies set to go toe to toe

Sergei Bobrovsky and Frederik Andersen will be in the spotlight when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Columbus Blue Jackets Monday at Scotiabank Arena.

Yes, two of the stingiest goaltenders in the game each will see a formidable foe when he peers down the ice. Bobrovsky has a .954 save percentage in seven games since Oct. 30 and has allowed just one goal in each of his past four starts.

As for Andersen in November? Lights out, more or less.

The great Dane has a .959 save percentage in six games, winning five. In those games, Andersen has given up only eight goals, easily providing Toronto with an excellent chance to win every night. The Leafs have not been great at home, registering five wins in 10 games.

Here are five things to watch for Monday:

1. Fatigue factor?

The Maple Leafs shouldn’t be lagging, though the game marks their first at home since Nov. 9 and they were battling to find their legs at practice on Sunday. A determined Blue Jackets team, which did not practice Sunday, will be a test. “We tried to get the intensity up high enough for just under 35 minutes, to give ourselves a chance,” coach Mike Babcock said. “It’s always tough coming home (from the West Coast), so you have to get regrouped.”

2. Sweet M&M’s

The Leafs have had success with Auston Matthews out of the lineup and one reason is the club’s depth, but the Leafs’ best players have been super. Chief among them are Toronto’s top scorers, Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly, with each averaging a shade more than a point a game in Matthews’ absence.

3. Terrific Tavares

John Tavares had a seven-game point streak end in Anaheim. There has been no busier Leaf in the offensive zone, however, as Tavares’ 73 shots on goal leads Toronto and had been bettered by just 10 NHLers through Saturday. Seventeen of Tavares’ 23 points have come at even-strength.

4. Earlier the better

If the Leafs can gain some momentum early and score, the odds are good they will wind up with a win before heading out to Carolina and Columbus for a pair of road games. The Leafs are 9-0 when scoring first, one of just two teams (Nashville is 11-0) that has not lost once when going up 1-0. Columbus is 5-5-1 when allowing the first goal, and has allowed 22 goals in the first period, tied for most in the NHL after Saturday’s games.

5. Focus on Cam

Cam Atkinson never has been a player to torch the Leafs. He has three goals in 14 career games against Toronto, but the 5-foot-8 dynamo enters Monday on quite the tear. Atkinson had a hat trick in a Columbus win against Carolina on Saturday and has scored in each of the past four games.