TORONTO — William Nylander and Nick Robertson each scored twice as the Toronto Maple Leafs shut out the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-0 on Saturday, securing their fourth consecutive win.
Anthony Stolarz stopped 27 shots for Toronto (47-25-4), securing his second shutout of the season. Auston Matthews scored the additional goal, with Morgan Rielly contributing two assists.
Elvis Merzlikins made 23 saves for Columbus (34-32-9), who previously trounced the Leafs with scores of 6-2 and 5-1 during an earlier part of the season.
On Wednesday, Toronto secured a playoff berth for the ninth consecutive season and remains at the top of the Atlantic Division leaderboard with just six regular-season games left to play.
Columbus trails the Montreal Canadiens by six points for the second wildcard position in the Eastern Conference. The Canadiens secured their win against the Philadelphia Flyers with a score of 3-2.
Stolarsky's shutout marked his tenth clean sheet in his career. At 31 years old, he joined as an unrestricted free agent and has emerged victorious in each of his past five appearances. It seems he now holds the advantage over fellow goalie Joseph Woll to become Toronto’s first choice for the opening game of the playoffs.
TAKEAWAYS
In Toronto, Robertson has accumulated four goals and two assists this season following his stint as a healthy scratch. He was benched for the seventh time during the 2024–25 season in Wednesday’s 3-2 win against the Florida Panthers.
Columbus: Seasoned forward James van Riemsdyk returned to action after sitting out the previous four matches. The 35-year-old previously spent six seasons with the Leafs from 2012-13 to 2017-18.
KEY MOMENT
The Blue Jackets began strong in the opening period until Merzlikins made an unnecessary mistake with the puck, resulting in Robertson scoring Toronto's first goal.
KEY STAT
Defenceman Chris Tanev of the Leafs stopped two shots in the opening period, setting a new team record for block attempts in one season. This achievement surpassed the former high of 176 blocks held by Carl Gunnarsson from the 2013-14 season.
UP NEXT
The Blue Jackets will play against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will play against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.
