Maple Leafs shut out Blue Jackets in Game 2 to even series
Andersen makes 20 saves, Matthews, Tavares score for first win of Cup Qualifiers
Frederik Andersen made 20 saves for his third NHL postseason shutout, and the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 in Game 2 to even the Stanley Cup Qualifiers series at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Tuesday.
Auston Matthews scored at 16:00 of the second period for Toronto’s first goal of the series, ending Joonas Korpisalo’s shutout streak at 96:00.
John Tavares scored on a breakaway to make it 2-0 at 4:56 of the third period. Morgan Reilly made it 3-0 when he scored into an empty net with 47 seconds remaining.
Korpisalo made 35 saves, including the first 27 shots he faced.
Game 3 is in Toronto, the Eastern Conference hub city, on Thursday (8 p.m. ET). The Maple Leafs are the No. 8 seed in the East, the Blue Jackets are the No. 9 seed; the series winner advances to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin was injured with 1:52 remaining in the third period. He was on his back on the ice after he fell and his head struck the legs of Blue Jackets forward Oliver Bjorkstrand. The game was delayed for 14 minutes while his neck was immobilized before he was taken off on a stretcher.
After failing to score through the first four periods of the series, Matthews broke through for Toronto when he carried the puck up the ice before he deflected Zach Hyman’s return pass from the right side over Korpisalo’s right shoulder to make it 1-0. It was Matthews’ 11th goal in 22 NHL postseason games.
Tavares shot between Korpisalo’s right arm and pad to make it 2-0.
Korpisalo made 55 saves to begin his NHL postseason career, including 28 for the first shutout in Blue Jackets postseason history, a 2-0 win in Game 1 on Sunday.
Persistence paid off.@OntarioLottery Game Winning Numbers | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/zN83wTQH2c
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) August 4, 2020
An ice level look at tonight’s winner 👀 #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/QXVGknyClF
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) August 5, 2020
Individual shot attempts for the Leafs in Game 2:
Mitch Marner: 12
Auston Matthews: 11
John Tavares: 10— Jonas Siegel (@jonassiegel) August 4, 2020
Maple Leafs defenceman Jake Muzzin was transported to hospital following an on-ice collision in the third period tonight. He is alert and able to move all limbs. Further updates will be provided once available.
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) August 4, 2020
#CBJ John Tortorella: “Toronto was really good; we sucked."
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) August 4, 2020
Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski: "First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with Jake Muzzin. ... No hockey game is as important as someone's health so we're thinking of him right now."
— Dave Stubbs (@Dave_Stubbs) August 4, 2020