4 Takeaways From the Maple Leafs’ 5-1 Loss to the Blue Jackets

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost 5-1 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday (Jan. 22). Despite dictating the pace for most of the matchup, the Leafs didn’t capitalize on their chances, and some defensive lapses resulted in deflating goals against them.

As a result, Toronto’s impressive three-game winning streak ended. 

Goaltending Decided the Game

Blue Jackets netminder Elvis Merzlikins played very well. He made some big stops when Toronto’s skaters had prolonged possession of the puck, but he didn’t have to make many second-opportunity saves because the Maple Leafs didn’t generate them. Still, he turned aside a handful of excellent chances, including a first-period breakaway by William Nylander. Columbus blocked 25 shots in the contest, and Merzlikins only faced five pucks on target in the third period. 

At the other end of the ice, Dennis Hildeby’s struggles continued. After Joseph Woll made four straight starts, including a career-high 24th start this season, coach Craig Berube decided the 26-year-old goalie could use a breather after rattling off three consecutive wins in emotional fashion. Outside of a couple of solid efforts, Hildeby hasn’t performed well at the NHL level in 2024-25. He has a 3-3-0 record with a 3.33 goals-against average and an .878 save percentage. The 23-year-old netminder stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 222 pounds but didn’t use his size effectively. He was down too early or out of position on too many occasions. Hildeby wasn’t the sole reason for the loss, but getting outplayed by Merzlikins was a major determining factor. 

Toronto has benefited from incredible goaltending this season. Anthony Stolarz had superhero numbers before suffering a knee injury, and Woll has had some herculean efforts between the pipes. Since December, Toronto’s offence has ranked eighth in the league with 3.19 goals per game. However, this hasn’t been a team that outscores itself out of trouble nearly as much as it has in the past, and when the goaltending isn’t up to par, it becomes a noticeable problem. 

Matthews Continues to Produce

Auston Matthews was the lone goal scorer for the Maple Leafs. He has lit the lamp six times during his five-game goal streak and has found the back of the net 11 times in his past 14 appearances. Following a six-game absence due to an upper-body issue, the Toronto captain has tallied nine goals and six assists in 10 outings. 

Matthews has been gaining momentum after his latest stint on injured reserve because of a nagging injury. He has appeared much more comfortable lately while skating more purposely and shooting with the same vigour that made him a three-time winner of the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy. The amount of time he has missed makes it unlikely that he will challenge for the goal-scoring crown in 2024-25, but he could still reach 50 if his torrid pace continues. 

Toronto Area Kids Shine Offensively for the Visitors

Adam Fantilli and Luca Del Bel Belluz led the Blue Jackets’ offence, combing for four goals and five points. Fantilli started the scoring with a shorthanded goal at 15:40 in the first period and extended his team’s lead to 2-0 at 15:21 of the second period. He completed his first NHL hat trick with an empty-net tally just before the 12-minute mark of the third period. Del Bel Belluz got his second goal of 2024-25 in the third period after setting up a second-period goal by former Maple Leaf James van Riemsdyk. 

Related: Blue Jackets Blow By Maple Leafs Behind Adam Fantilli’s First NHL Hat Trick

Fantilli, a Nobleton native, and Del Bel Belluz, a Woodbridge native, had productive homecomings in front of family and friends. Fantilli mentioned before the game that he would have a cheering section of about 70 people, and he put on a show for them. 

More Injury Woes for the Maple Leafs

Matthew Knies suffered an upper-body injury late in the second period of Wednesday’s contest and didn’t return for the third frame. The 22-year-old bounced off Kirill Marchenko on a hit attempt and fell awkwardly into the linesman in front of the Toronto bench. There was no update on Knies’ status following the game. 

Among Maple Leafs’ skaters, he has the fourth-most goals (18) and the fifth-most points (31) through 47 appearances this season. Despite a four-game pointless skid during that stretch, he has compiled seven goals and five assists in his last 10 outings. John Tavares isn’t close to being an option as he continues to recover from a lower-body injury. On Wednesday, the Leafs added Max Pacioretty to the injured reserve list, ruling him out through at least Saturday’s (Jan. 25) meeting versus the Ottawa Senators. Connor Dewar also didn’t play against the Blue Jackets because of an upper-body injury, leading to the call-up of Jacob Quillan from the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies.

If Dewar and Knies are unavailable to play versus the Senators, the Maple Leafs will require additional reinforcements from the minors. Nicholas Robertson received an early look on the top line with Matthews and Mitch Marner after Knies was hurt. However, Nylander logged most of the minutes in that spot as the team searched for an offensive spark. Keeping Nylander on the first line for Saturday’s contest is a distinct possibility, but it might dilute the other combinations too much because of the injuries to Tavares and Pacioretty. 

What’s Next for the Maple Leafs? 

The Maple Leafs will look to get back on track versus the Senators before hosting the Wild on Wednesday (Jan. 29). With injuries piling up again, the club will benefit from the days off to recover before starting February with a four-game road trip.