Hyman scores winner as Leafs down Blue Jackets, 4-2

Zach Hyman scored the go-ahead goal late in the third period as the Toronto Maple Leafs stretched their winning streak to four games with a 4-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday.

The winger’s second goal of the season came with 4:22 left in regulation on a redirection of Morgan Rielly’s point shot after the Leafs won an offensive zone faceoff. Hyman then added an empty netter with 61 seconds left on the clock.

John Tavares, with a goal and an assist, and Tyler Ennis also scored for Toronto (15-6-0).

Frederik Andersen made 37 saves. Mitch Marner and Ron Hainsey each had two assists.

The Leafs were coming off a three-game California sweep that improved their record away from home to a National Hockey League-leading 9-1-0 and Monday’s win nudged them above .500 at Scotiabank Arena on the season to 6-5-0.

Cam Atkinson and Pierre-Luc Dubois each had a goal and an assist for Columbus (12-7-2), while Sergei Bobrovsky made 22 stops.

Atkinson stayed hot following a five-goal, three-assist outburst that earned him the NHL’s first star honours for last week, but it wasn’t enough as the Blue Jackets lost in regulation for the first time in eight (5-1-2).

Toronto came in with the league’s third-best record, while Columbus was one spot back in fourth.

Down 2-0 after the first, Toronto got on the board with 6:59 left in the second when Ennis used a couple of spin moves to give himself some room before sliding his third through Bobrovsky’s five-hole from a tough angle.

Andersen then stopped Josh Anderson’s move to the backhand on a breakaway to keep the Leafs down by one before Marner went to work on the equalizer.

The slick winger, who entered play fourth in league scoring with six goals and 20 assists, stepped past Columbus defenceman Scott Harrington before deftly tapping his own rebound back in front of Bobrovsky’s net for Tavares to score his 13th.

Marner now has one goal and seven assists during a five-game point streak.

NOTES: There were no penalties called in the game . ... Bobrovsky had allowed just one goal in each of his last four starts prior to Monday.

KEVIN SOUSA NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES John Tavares of the Maple Leafs celebrates his 13th goal of the season with Mitch Marner in the second period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Monday. For a Rosie DiManno column on Tavares, see Page S3.