Time has all but run out.
Anthony Stolarz stopped all 27 shots for his second shutout. Nick Robertson and William Nylander each scored twice as the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-0 on Saturday at Scotiabank Arena.
Elvis Merzlikins made 22 saves on 27 shots as his three-game winning streak against Toronto — all in Toronto — ended. The Blue Jackets had won four of five versus the Maple Leafs coming in and won both prior meetings this season — a 6-2 win at Nationwide Arena on Oct. 22 and a 5-1 win in Toronto on Jan. 22.
Mistakes Lead To Robertson Goals
There wasn’t much offense through the first 40 minutes, and the little there was went the way of the home team.
Robertson (13) scored at 10:03 of the first period to strike first for the Leafs. Pontus Holmberg picked up his 10th assist.
The play came about as Zach Werenski had the puck in his zone and his clearing attempt caromed off the right and then left skate of Steven Lorentz. The puck slid to Merzlikins in the crease, who fired the puck at Werenski. The puck went off Werenski's left skate and ended up in the slot for Holmberg, setting up Robertson for the goal.
Toronto goal!
— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 5, 2025
Scored by Nicholas Robertson with 09:57 remaining in the 1st period.
Assisted by Pontus Holmberg.
Toronto: 1
Columbus: 0#CBJvsTOR #LeafsForever #CBJ pic.twitter.com/gBEpN1Z1SL
Robertson’s (14) second goal at 12:28 of the second period, assisted by Max Domi (23), made it 2-0.
Werenski cleared the puck just outside the Jackets' end, but Toronto made quick work to bat it down and end up in an odd-man rush the other way to create the goal.
Toronto goal!
— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 6, 2025
Scored by Nicholas Robertson with 07:32 remaining in the 2nd period.
Assisted by Max Domi.
Toronto: 2
Columbus: 0#CBJvsTOR #LeafsForever #CBJ pic.twitter.com/fnhCVPrhfW
Nylander Puts It Out Of Reach
It wasn’t over when the Blue Jackets came out for the third period down a pair of goals, but Nylander’s pair of third-period goals in the first 4:21 all but solidified it.
The 3-0 goal by Nylander at 1:11 was his 43rd of the season. Morgan Rielly (29) and Brandon Carlo (10) assisted.
The 4-0 goal at 4:21 was the 44th for Nylander, extending a career high and leading the team, and was assisted by Rielly (30) and Auston Matthews (41).
Matthews then found the opportunity to score his 30th of the season, 398th of his career, assisted by Mitch Marner (70) and Matthew Knies (26) at 16:27 of the third, to make it 5-0 and mercifully end this one. Marner is on a seven-game point streak (three goals, eight assists).
Columbus hasn’t scored since leading 3-2 at 7:56 of the second period against the Avalanche on Thursday night, and has allowed 10 straight unanswered goals since then.
Nine. https://t.co/v59M5wFZTP
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) April 6, 2025
Jackets Watching Playoff Hopes Slip Away
In a game the Blue Jackets needed to have, they came up short again.
#CBJ lose 5-0 to #LeafsForever. Fifth time CBJ have been shutout since March 6, a span of 14 games.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) April 6, 2025
Playoff hopes are now playoff pipe dreams.
The New York Rangers were shut out 4-0 by the New Jersey Devils on Saturday afternoon at Prudential Center. Meanwhile, the team everyone is chasing for the coveted second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, the Montreal Canadiens, overcame a 1-0 deficit in the third period to beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Saturday and now holds a six-point lead over Columbus. The Rangers are still two points ahead of the Blue Jackets, and New York trails Montreal by four points. The Detroit Red Wings are tied with Columbus in points but have passed Columbus based on the tie-breaker scenarios.
Steven Lorentz and Sean Kuraly go from a wrestling match to a full-blown tilt pic.twitter.com/SwIMUVWB3G
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 6, 2025
James van Riemsdyk returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the last four games.
Per @JacketsInsider update earlier ...#CBJ James van Riemsdyk returns to the lineup after four healthy scratches, his longest string of scratches this season.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) April 5, 2025
Luke Kunin, who has 0 points in 12 games since he was acquired at the trade deadline, is set to be a healthy scratch.
Back-To-Back With Senators
The Blue Jackets are off to Ottawa as they conclude the weekend back-to-back on Sunday, April 6 at 5 p.m. ET from Canadian Tire Centre. Then Columbus travels home to face the Senators on Tuesday, April 8, at 7 p.m. ET. The Blue Jackets are 1-9-0 in the second of back-to-backs this season and 6-12-2 in back-to-back games overall.
