Postgame Analysis: Blue Jackets sloppy in loss to Maple Leafs

Two days after being shut out by Columbus in Game 1 of its Stanley Cup Playoffs qualifying series, Toronto came back in Game 2 with a vengeance.

It was the response that should have been expected from a team that is trying to earn its first playoff series win since 2004, and one that is under constant pressure to turn its highly touted group of young talent into a winner.

And in the end, it was a response that largely overwhelmed the Blue Jackets on Tuesday as the Maple Leafs posted a 3-0 victory that evened the team's best-of-five series at one win apiece.

Simply, the Maple Leafs were the better team, amassing a 39-20 shot advantage and dominating puck possession. After a game in which the Blue Jackets just couldn't get anything going consistently, struggling to control pucks and win battles, head coach John Tortorella offered up a simple breakdown.

"Toronto was really good," he said three times in response to varied questions. "We sucked."

To break it down fully would almost belabor the same point. Toronto certainly was better than it was in the first game, opening up a 6-0 shot advantage in the opening five minutes and rarely letting off the pedal from there.

A change to the Maple Leafs lines seemed to create a bit of a spark, as Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner playing together dominated the possession stats and Matthews finally broke Joonas Korpisalo's 96-minute scoreless streak to give Toronto its first lead. Meanwhile, John Tavares' move to a line with William Nylander seemed to energize his game as the center finished with eight shots on goal and a tally.

While Toronto held the puck a lot at 5-on-5, the Maple Leafs still didn't get to the middle much to create chances, but it was a different story on the power play. Toronto earned five power plays, which seemed to ignite their offensive confidence; even though the Leafs didn't convert on any, they did create chances and led to momentum.

Things were the opposite on the Columbus side, as it was the third time in franchise history the team was shut out in a postseason game, and the 20 shots on goal tied a franchise low for the playoffs. The forecheck never really got humming, which hurt the offensive attack

Giving Toronto five power plays -- two on stick infractions, two others for holding and another for interference -- also was not how the Blue Jackets drew it up.

"We just have to stay out of the box and do a better job of checking with our legs and not with our sticks," defenseman Zach Werneski said. "I think that comes down to compete and just playing better."

In all, it was a just sloppy effort for Columbus, which will get its chance to respond in Thursday night's Game 3.

"I just don't think we were (as) sharp tonight as we have been," captain Nick Foligno said. "I think that was the biggest difference. You can dissect it any way you want, but ultimately it just comes down to we didn't play a good enough game. It's unacceptable.

"I'm not making excuses for it. It's a great opportunity to come back and play the right way and try to get the lead in this series again."

Another Korpi-solid performance:Heck, you could use even more superlatives to describe the showing of Korpisalo in Game 2. Korpifantastic? Korpitremendous? Korpexcellent?

Even though he took the loss while allowing two goals in 38 shots against, Korpisalo was the main reason the Blue Jackets were able to stay in the game until the end. He was clearly sharp from the word go yet again, including facing that early blizzard from the Leafs, and he was particularly sharp on the power play with a number of stops on the doorstep and on rebounds.

Whether Tortorella and his staff chose Korpisalo or Elvis Merzlikins to start, that goalie was going to be under a lot of pressure, just knowing any mistakes would be magnified in a short series and another excellent goalie was ready to go in if need be. So far, Korpisalo has proved ready for the challenge, starting his postseason career with 55 straight saves before Matthews' goal and continuing to be on his game throughout.

While he faced more rubber on Tuesday than he did in Game 1, Korpisalo still said he felt good in net.

"It didn't affect my game too much," he said. "I think the boys did a good job letting me see the puck. There were more people in front than the first game, but not that big a difference."

Thoughts for Muzzin: The Blue Jackets also sent their thoughts to the Toronto dressing room after the late-game injury to Toronto defenseman Jake Muzzin.

Muzzin was taken from the ice on a stretcher after being attended to for nearly 15 minutes by doctors following an awkward collision with 1:52 left in the game. After absorbing a hit from Pierre-Luc Dubois behind his own net with Columbus on the power play, Muzzin tried to regain his feet and make a play before clattering into the legs of Blue Jackets forward Oliver Bjorkstrand.

As he was falling to the ice, Muzzin's head appeared to hit Bjorkstrand's knee, sending it backwards and jamming his neck. Muzzin was in clear discomfort on the ice but moving around before being attended to by team medical personnel, who eventually made the decision to immobilize the defenseman after attending to him.

After the game, Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe said Muzzin was taken to a Toronto-area hospital and was responsive.

"I want to start by saying my thoughts and prayers are with Jake Muzzin," Werenski said to open his postgame comments. "Obviously that's tough to see. No hockey game is as important as someone's health. We're thinking of him right now."

Foligno and Tortorella later echoed the message, and we can't help but agree.