Marner exits early in Leaf loss
> BLUE JACKETS 5 > MAPLE LEAFS 2
COLUMBUS, OHIO— The one thing that seems to have confounded Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock — though he won’t stop looking for solutions — is back-toback games.
After looking as good as they have all year in trouncing the Islanders 7-1 on Tuesday, the Leafs were as flat as they’ve been in dropping a 5-2 decision to the Blue Jackets on Wednesday night.
“It wasn’t good enough,” said Nazem Kadri, who scored both of the Leafs’ goals. “We dominated the second half of the game, but by then it was too late.”
Rookie Mitch Marner didn’t finish the game because of a possible shoulder injury, but seemed okay in the dressing room afterward. He tried on two occasions to come back after a check from Boone Jenner. Marner didn’t speak to the media after the game, but Babcock said he would be evaluated Thursday.
The Leafs have 18 of these back-to-back sets and face another this weekend against Ottawa and Carolina. Babcock has worked the team hard one day, then skipped morning skates on gamedays. He has searched for the right backup goalie, settling on former Blue Jacket Curtis McElhinney after cameos by Jhonas Enroth and Antoine Bibeau.
Still, the magic has yet to be discovered that would have the Leafs come out on top regularly on the second night. The Leafs are 9-2-2 in the first two, 4-8-1in the second — with five more sets to go.
“It’s real simple: You’ve got to win on a nightly basis if you want to be in the playoffs,” said Babcock.
The loss prevented the Leafs from leapfrogging idle Ottawa and Boston and taking over second place in the Atlantic Division. The Leafs haven’t put a pair of wins together since Jan. 24 and 26.
“Frustration is a waste of time,” said Babcock. “We’re a work in progress. We’re trying to get better. When we don’t play hard enough, I address it, and we’ll continue to do that.”
Babcock addressed it during the game by juggling lines and cutting the minutes of some veterans, notably James van Riemsdyk (12:51 in ice time) and Tyler Bozak (14:10).
Columbus had a four-goal lead by the midway part of the second period before Babcock pressed the button on the blender and came up with new lines. The all-rookie combo of Auston Matthews centring Connor Brown and Zach Hyman was the only one to remain intact and played the most.
“The game got away from us, but I believe we’re in good enough shape to compete every night,” said Babcock. “I don’t care where we’ve been or where we flew in from or anything like that. To me, that’s part of being a good pro, is to bring it every night. Tonight, we didn’t have enough guys.”
It seemed like two different games — Columbus dominating the first half, the Leafs the second.
As is so often the case, it was players who grew up watching the Leafs who did the damage.
Josh Anderson of Burlington and Jenner of Dorchester, Ont., had the first-period goals for the Blue Jackets. Oliver Bjorkstand and Nick Foligno scored in the second as Toronto miscues, giveaways and mistakes piled up.
“We started turning pucks over and they capitalized, and then it was too late,” said Leafs defenceman Jake Gardiner. “When you see your teammate doing something right, it is con- tagious. And same goes for the bad things, too.”
The line juggling started to pay off late in the second period, with Kadri scoring to cut the Blue Jackets lead to 4-1. Kadri scored again — Leivo did the hard work — to cut the lead in half six minutes into the third. But that’s as close as the Leafs got with Matt Calvert of the Jackets finishing the scoring in McElhinney’s return to Nationwide Arena in a Leafs jersey.
“It’s one of those things. You don’t want to dig yourself a hole too early,” said McElhinney. “In the other starts I’ve had, I think we’ve been right there in every situation of the game. In this one, to get down four, it’s tough to come back from that. “We had a good game at home the other night and we wanted to string something together.”
It was a battle between the teams that have made the most remarkable turnarounds since last season. Columbus and Toronto both finished last in their divisions — the Leafs dead last overall. Both now are in playoff positions thanks to an injection of youth.
“I don’t know which team is younger, but we are two of the youngest teams in the league,” said Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella. “I think youth just plays. I don’t think they understand pressure — yet.
“I can’t talk for Toronto, but our guys, we just want to let them play.”