NHL
Matthews Scores in 700th NHL Game As Maple Leafs Beat Blue Jackets 6-2
Toronto scored four times in the second period, and Anthony Stolarz made 35 saves in a 6-2 road victory.
Auston Matthews marked his 700th NHL game with a goal and an assist Tuesday as the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-2 at Nationwide Arena.
Toronto broke open a 1-1 game with four unanswered goals in the second period. William Nylander put the Maple Leafs ahead before Matthews scored at 3:12, with Easton Cowan adding a short-handed goal and Jack Roslovic extending the lead to 5-1.
Anthony Stolarz stopped 35 of 37 shots for Toronto, which improved to 5-4-2 and won for the second consecutive night. The Maple Leafs had beaten San Jose 3-1 on Monday.
Kirill Marchenko scored on the power play against his former club to erase Jake Christiansen’s early goal for Columbus. Marchenko was acquired from the Blue Jackets in September in a deal that sent Matthew Knies to Columbus.
Cowan and Roslovic each finished with a goal and two assists, while Morgan Rielly had three assists. Matthews assisted on Marchenko’s goal before scoring his own.
Charlie Coyle brought Columbus within 5-2 early in the third period. Toronto defenseman Marshall Rifai scored his first NHL goal with 3:02 remaining to complete the scoring. The Blue Jackets fell to 3-5-0.
Follow Tuesday’s other games on the NHL scoreboard.
