Wednesday game preview: Toronto Maple Leafs at Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets have lost three of their last four games, but can be deadly when they score first

Boone Jenner has moved to centre following the injury to Brandon Dubinsky and has filled in admirably.
Boone Jenner has moved to centre following the injury to Brandon Dubinsky and has filled in admirably.  (Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire via GETTY IMAGES)  

NATIONWIDE ARENA

PUCK DROP: 7:30 p.m.

TV: Sportsnet

RADIO: TSN 1050

KEY PLAYERS

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Jenner/Bozak

It’s likely Columbus’s Boone Jenner and Toronto’s Tyler Bozak will be taking key faceoffs for their respective teams when the puck drops Wednesday night. Jenner was moved from left wing to centre three games ago to fill in for the injured Brandon Dubinsky, who is expected to be out six to eight weeks with a fractured orbital bone. Dubinsky has been one of the NHL’s best in the faceoff circle over the past several seasons and Jenner has responded admirably, winning 56 per cent of his takes.

NEED TO KNOW

The Blue Jackets are 1-3 in their last four games and have been outscored 20-11 over that span, including a pair of 7-2 losses to Edmonton and Boston. The Jackets looked especially lifeless Monday night against the Bruins, who dominated the game and puck-possession stats while outshooting Columbus 45-18 . . . The Blue Jackets have three games in four days, beginning with the Maple Leafs . . . Columbus had been one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference prior to the slide and is one of the best in the NHL when scoring first — the Blue Jackets have 49 wins over their last 116 games when they notch the game’s opening goal (second only to Washington at 54 over that span) . . . Nine of Columbus’s last 11 wins have seen the team allow two goals or fewer.

UP NEXT

Saturday at New York Rangers, 7 p.m.