By HOWARD BERGER
COLUMBUS (Nov. 3) - More than a few elements of the Maple Leafs maturation will be on the line tonight at Nationwide Arena against the 2-9-1 Columbus Blue Jackets.
We'll discover, for example, whether the Leafs can get jacked up for an uncommon opponent languishing in the NHL basement; whether the club - as it appears - possesses a killer instinct offensively, and whether the Leafs can perform effectively on the back-end of consecutive night games. Not to compare these Blue Jackets to the defending Stanley Cup champions, but the Leafs were dead-flat in Boston two weeks ago, getting drubbed, 6-2, by the Bruins a night after defeating Winnipeg at the Air Canada Centre. It was the first of 17 consecutive-night engagements for the Leafs this season, and they barely showed up.
Given the Blue Jackets early-season malaise, that may be a subliminal instinct for the visitors tonight here in the Buckeye State. Playoff-bound teams in the current NHL must avail themselves of as many attainable points as possible, and the Leafs cannot afford to fall asleep. Though Columbus has only two wins in 12 games, both have come in the past week, including a 3-1 victory over Anaheim here on Sunday. The Blue Jackets were more energetic than the Maple Leafs in their lone meeting a year ago - out-shooting Toronto, 32-22, and winning, 3-2, at the Air Canada Centre on Dec. 30.
COLUMBUS (Nov. 3) - More than a few elements of the Maple Leafs maturation will be on the line tonight at Nationwide Arena against the 2-9-1 Columbus Blue Jackets.
We'll discover, for example, whether the Leafs can get jacked up for an uncommon opponent languishing in the NHL basement; whether the club - as it appears - possesses a killer instinct offensively, and whether the Leafs can perform effectively on the back-end of consecutive night games. Not to compare these Blue Jackets to the defending Stanley Cup champions, but the Leafs were dead-flat in Boston two weeks ago, getting drubbed, 6-2, by the Bruins a night after defeating Winnipeg at the Air Canada Centre. It was the first of 17 consecutive-night engagements for the Leafs this season, and they barely showed up.
Given the Blue Jackets early-season malaise, that may be a subliminal instinct for the visitors tonight here in the Buckeye State. Playoff-bound teams in the current NHL must avail themselves of as many attainable points as possible, and the Leafs cannot afford to fall asleep. Though Columbus has only two wins in 12 games, both have come in the past week, including a 3-1 victory over Anaheim here on Sunday. The Blue Jackets were more energetic than the Maple Leafs in their lone meeting a year ago - out-shooting Toronto, 32-22, and winning, 3-2, at the Air Canada Centre on Dec. 30.
Conversely, the Leafs had no difficulty whatsoever with the Jackets in their last encounter here in Columbus - building a 6-1 lead on Dec. 3, 2009 and cruising to a 6-3 triumph. Phil Kessel and Jason Blake (remember him?) each scored twice for Toronto, but the Leafs were dead-in-the-water after beginning the 2009-10 season with a crippling 0-7-1 record. The club is in a much-better spot here tonight, leading the Northeast Division with an 8-3-1 mark after last night's 5-3 conquest of the New Jersey Devils.
IT'S A GRAYISH DAY HERE IN COLUMBUS, BUT THE AUTUMN COLORS ARE STILL IN BLOOM OUTSIDE NATIONWIDE ARENA (ABOVE), WHERE THE MAPLE LEAFS AND BLUE JACKETS SQUARE OFF TONIGHT IN THEIR LONE MEETING OF THE SEASON.
"We're a pretty grounded group," said captain Dion Phaneuf after the game in Newark. "We've developed a closeness early in the season and we're playing for one another each night. It's something we began doing in the [final-third] of last season and we've been able to carry it over."
Though he was hoping to start James Reimer in goal here tonight, Leafs coach Ron Wilson will stay with Jonas Gustavsson, who makes a sixth consecutive start and an eighth consecutive appearance for the Blue & White. Reimer participated in an optional morning skate today with a handful of teammates and didn't really exert himself.
While initially recovering from the head/neck injury sustained in Montreal 12 nights ago, Reimer was instructed to take it very easy and his game-conditioning suffered. He told Wilson his "lungs were burning" after the Leafs morning skate in Newark yesterday and he appears to need a couple of more practices before returning to uniform.
Face-off tonight at Nationwide Arena is 7 o'clock.
I KNEW MY CONTINENTAL AIRLINES FLIGHT FROM NEWARK HAD LANDED AT THE CORRECT AIRPORT EARLIER TODAY WHEN IT PASSED THE MAPLE LEAFS CHARTER JET ON THE TARMAC (ABOVE) AT PORT COLUMBUS INTERNATIONAL.
NATIONWIDE INSURANCE PRETTY MUCH OWNS THIS CITY - ITS HEADQUARTERS IN A LARGE OFFICE BUILDING (ABOVE) ONE BLOCK FROM THE BLUE JACKETS HOME ARENA (MAIN ENTRANCE BELOW).
NATIONWIDE ARENA IS ONE OF THE MORE ATTRACTIVE BUILDINGS IN THE NHL: ITS RED-BRICK FACADE EXTENDING FOR TWO CITY BLOCKS IN DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS.
THE HYATT-REGENCY HOTEL (ABOVE) - THREE BLOCKS FROM NATIONWIDE ARENA - HOSTED THE MAJORITY OF BIG-WIGS DURING THE 2007 NHL DRAFT, WHICH WAS HELD HERE. THAT WAS THE YEAR THE LEAFS TRADED THEIR FIRST-ROUND PICK TO SAN JOSE FOR GOALIE VESA TOSKALA 24 HOURS BEFORE THE DRAFT. TORONTO DIDN'T PICK UNTIL THE THIRD ROUND, 74th OVERALL, GRABBING RIGHT-WINGER DALE MITCHELL OF THE OSHAWA GENERALS. CHICAGO TOOK PATRICK KANE FIRST OVERALL.
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