Kadri nets five as Maple Leafs cruise past Blue Jackets

TORONTO » Nazem Kadri had three goals and two assists, Frederik Andersen made a career-high 54 saves and the surging Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-3 Wednesday night.

Patrick Marleau added a goal and two assists and Mitch Marner had a goal and an assist as Toronto closed out a perfect fivegame hometand. It was Kadri’s fourth career hat trick, and the five points set a career high.

The Blue Jackets recorded 50 or more shots for the third straight game, making them the first team to accomplish the feat in the post-expansion era (since 1967-68). Nick Foligno had a goal and two assists, and Joonas made 22 saves.

Toronto played much of the game without defenseman Jake Gardiner, who departed with a lower-body injury after one period. It was unclear when the injury occurred, but he took a hard slash to the legs from Matt Calvert. The Maple Leafs had 4-2 lead before Jack a Korpisalo Johnson beat Andersen with a slap shot from the left circle that went off the post and into the net at 14:35 of the second. It was Johnson’s third goal of the season.

Toronto then put it away with two in the third. Kadri got his 21st of the season at 11:21, and Marleau added an empty-netter with 1:47 left.

The Maple Leafs opened the scoring when Dominic Moore finished a 2-on-1 with his fifth goal at 4:38 of the first. With David Savard taking away the passing lane to Kasperi Kapanen, Moore used a backhanded shot to beat Korpisalo.

Kadri cut around Korpisalo before using a screen to make it 2-0 at 7:36, but the Blue Jackets pulled within one when Foligno received a centering pass from Alexander Wennberg and fired a backhander by Andersen with 1:39 left.

Foligno scored his 13th goal early in the second. He received a pass from Wennberg on a 2-on-1 and beat Andersen at 2:25.

But Kadri’s one-timer made it 3-2 at 8:03 and he set up Marner’s one-timer at 10:17.