Maple Leafs 6, Blue Jackets 2: Marchenko, Then Four in the Second

October 20, 2026 - Columbus - Kirill Marchenko was at the right post when Auston Matthews threw it at the net. The puck went in off a skate. Nationwide Arena answered with boos. Marchenko had four years here. He is a Maple Leaf now, on a six-year deal after the September trade that sent Matthew Knies the other way. This was the first meeting.

The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-2. Toronto is 5-4-2, two in a row after a three-game slide and a 3-1 over San Jose on Monday. Columbus is 3-5-0, four losses in five. Shots were 37-22 Columbus. Marshall Rifai and Jake Christiansen are not seeded on AthX player pages, so those names stay unlinked.

Marchenko scored. William Nylander scored. Matthews scored in his 700th NHL game. Easton Cowan scored short-handed. Jack Roslovic scored. Rifai scored his first NHL goal in his fifth career game. Morgan Rielly had three assists. Anthony Stolarz stopped 35 of 37. The Associated Press recap listed 33 saves. The NHL box is 35 saves on 37 shots. That is the line we scored. Christiansen and Charlie Coyle scored for Columbus. Jet Greaves allowed five goals on 19 shots in 32:02. Cam Talbot stopped two of three in relief.

A 1-0 that lasted until the skate

Christiansen opened it at 2:38 of the first, his first goal since Dec. 21, 2024, the NHL recap said. 1-0.

Marchenko tied it at 8:16 on the power play. Matthews from the circle. Skate. Goal. "It's fine, I've been ready for that," Marchenko told NHL.com about the boos. "I just do my work." He also said it was a special game, and that he had only positive notes for the fans who were here for four years.

Knies had three shots and two hits against his old club. "It was weird, to be honest," he told NHL.com. Then he pointed at the effort, not the reunion. Jake McCabe left at 13:05 of the first after a high stick and did not return.

Kent Johnson appeared to score at the first-period horn, the Associated Press recap said. Time had expired. The goal came off.

9:37 that ended the night

Nylander put Toronto in front at 2:26 of the second, a wrist from the right circle. Colton Sissons had an assist, his point streak at four games, the AP recap said. 2-1.

Forty-six seconds later Matthews snapped one from the left wing off a cross-ice pass from Roslovic. 3-1. The NHL notes put him at 436 goals through 700 games, tied with Pavel Bure for sixth most to that milestone.

Cowan made it 4-1 at 6:48, short-handed. He told NHL.com the goalie was favoring Nylander, which he probably would too, and he picked his spot. The NHL recap said he is the first Maple Leafs player age 21 or younger to score short-handed since Mitch Marner on Feb. 14, 2019.

Roslovic finished a backdoor from Rielly at 12:03. 5-1. Greaves was done.

Coyle scored at 4:13 of the third while on his stomach from the side of the net. 5-2. Rifai closed it at 16:58. 6-2.

Rick Bowness told NHL.com he did not see it coming, and that Toronto's top-down guys made Columbus pay. Coyle told NHL.com the Blue Jackets have to stay out of the box. Zach Werenski put eight shots on Stolarz in 27:11 and left without a point.

AthX Engine on a 6-2 that was a second-period game

AthX Engine (our projection and scoring system) scored Cowan at 11.20 (a goal, two assists, two shots, and the short-handed bonus from the NHL landing). Roslovic is 10.70. Rielly is 9.00. Matthews is 8.80. Nylander is 7.70. Rifai is 6.70. Christiansen is 6.20. Marchenko is 5.70. Stolarz's win, 35 saves, and two goals against land at 14.60. Greaves is -0.40.

Toronto's team line is 23.20. Columbus's 2-6 floors at 0.00.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for Marchenko in the building that just booed him, and for a Blue Jackets group that put 37 shots up and still left down four after two. They are not the same number.

Track Marchenko, Matthews, Cowan, and both clubs on the marketplace. The Rangers visit Toronto on Thursday. Vegas visits Columbus on Saturday.

*Sources: AP recap (ESPN), ESPN box score, NHL.com recap, NHL.com scoreboard, ESPN NHL scoreboard. AthX Engine fantasy points scored from NHL gamecenter box 2026020145. Information only; not financial advice.*