Game Preview: Blue Jackets Head North Of The Border To Face Auston Matthews And The Toronto Maple Leafs

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
15-6-5 (35 pts; .673%) ROSTER SCHEDULE
7:00 P.M. – THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14 SCOTIABANK ARENA TORONTO, ON, CAN
TELEVISION: Bally Sports Ohio ESPN+ Power Play
ODDS & PROJECTIONS:
ODDS OF CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK: 32%
TIPICO SPORTSBOOK: CBJ +210

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Toronto Maple Leafs face off for the first time this season Thursday, and the two teams will get to know each other very well between now and the end of the year. 

This is the first of three games between the two teams over the next 15 days; the Blue Jackets will play host in the next two, which come December 23rd and December 29th. That'll be it for the season between the two clubs, an odd bit of scheduling from the NHL. 

The Maple Leafs are coming off one of their more impressive wins of the season, a 7-3 victory on the road against the New York Rangers. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets have had three days off to rebound from Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers.

Here's what else to know as the Blue Jackets take the ice at Scotiabank Arena:

TALKING POINTS: TOR

• Toronto returns home for a three-game homestand after a quick two-gamer in New York against the Rangers and Islanders. They are 4-0-1 in their last five home games, and it's been over a month since their last regulation loss at Scotiabank.
   
• On paper, the Maple Leafs should have one of (if not the) best offenses in the league... and they do. Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares are four of the more dynamic offensive players in the league. They've been healthy (none of the four have missed a game), they've been producing (all four are averaging at least a point a game), and they're the catalysts of the NHL's 7th ranked offense, putting up 3.46 goals per game. The power play checks in at the same rank, with Toronto converting on 25.0% their opportunities this season.

TALKING POINTS: CBJ

• There will be no Erik Gudbranson for the Blue Jackets, as he's serving his suspension for Sunday's altercation with Nick Cousins of the Florida Panthers. Andrew Peeke slots in and will play on the third pairing alongside Jake Bean.
   
• Columbus' penalty kill has come back to earth a bit in recent games, allowing its 5th goal over the last 20 kills in Sunday's loss. After being second in the league and within 1% of the top spot, they're now tied for 6th best. Still good, especially considering that they rank 29th in goals allows, at 3.50 per game. The power play, meanwhile, is improving — but haven't had more than two opportunities in four straight games.
   
• The rise of Adam Fantilli continues and based on Wednesday's practice, will slot in as the top center Thursday between Johnny Gaudreau and Justin Danforth. This should mean a substantial increase in time on ice, something that has been a topic of discussion most of the season amongst the 5th Line faithful. He played 13:54 on Sunday, which was his fourth straight game with less than 15 minutes of ice time. Fantilli has five points in those four games.

Updated: 7:05 a.m. // Subject to Change
Lines based on most recent practice/game, injury updates, and club news.