COLUMBUS, Ohio — Cam Atkinson scored for the sixth straight game, and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 on Friday night to remain atop the Metropolitan Division.
Josh Anderson had two goals and Markus Hannikainen also scored, helping the Blue Jackets avenge a 4-2 loss at Toronto on Monday. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 32 shots for his eighth win.
Toronto dropped consecutive games for the first time since Oct. 29 and Nov. 1. It had won four in a row and seven of eight before Wednesday’s 5-2 loss at Carolina.
Ron Hainsey and Kasperi Kapenen scored for the Maples Leafs (15-8-0), and Frederik Andersen stopped 20 shots.
Anderson got the Blue Jackets on the board 3:55 into the first period, forcing a Boone Jenner rebound past Andersen’s left side on Columbus’ first shot of the game.
Anderson got his 10th of the season midway through the first, making it 2-0 when he swatted a bouncing puck past Andersen.
The Maple Leafs then rallied. Hainsey drove a point shot past Bobrovsky for for his third of the season at 16:16 of the first, and Kapenen tied it 2:58 into the second when he slipped by a Jenner check in the neutral zone and beat Bobrovsky for his 10th.
Atkinson put Columbus (13-7-2) ahead to stay with a short-handed goal at 16:14 of the second. He grabbed a feed at the blue line from Alexander Wennberg and wristed a shot by Andersen from between the circles.
It was Atkinson’s 14th goal. He has eight goals and four assists during his scoring streak.
Hannikainen made it 4-2 with his second of the season 3:35 into the third.
NOTES: Toronto D Igor Ozhiganov got his first NHL point when he assisted on Hainsey’s goal in the first.
UP NEXT
Maple Leafs: Host Philadelphia on Saturday.
Blue Jackets: Visit Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Nicole Kraft, The Associated Press
