Korpisalo stops 41 shots in Jackets 3-1 win over Leafs

By foxsports
Published

TORONTO (AP) -- Rookie Joonas Korpisalo made 41 saves and the last-place Columbus Blue Jackets snapped a four-game skid with a 3-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.

The 21-year-old Korpisalo entered with just one win in six starts this season and had a 3.69 goals-against average and .882 save percentage.

Boone Jenner, Alexander Wennberg and Brandon Dubinsky scored for the Blue Jackets.

Brad Boyes scored late for the Maple Leafs. Toronto has totaled just two goals while losing its past three games.

Toronto's James Reimer stopped 19 of 21 shots.

Nazem Kadri had Toronto's first good opportunity to score while on a power play but wasn't able to beat Korpisalo on the blocker side from the slot early in the game.

Columbus opened the scoring when Jenner tipped Seth Jones' point shot from the high slot past Reimer at 15:08 of the first period.

Rene Bourque had a great chance to double his club's lead before the first ended but was turned away on a breakaway by a sprawling Reimer.

Toronto held the lead in shots 6-0 to start the game before William Karlsson put the first one on net for Columbus at 7:03. The Maple Leafs took a 10-8 shot advantage into the first intermission and were up 25-17 after 40 minutes.

The action picked up in the second after a slow opening period and Korpisalo was forced to make two big saves midway through -- first on a point shot from Dion Phaneuf that took a deflection and then another on Peter Holland on a one-timer from between the faceoff dots.

Columbus made it 2-0 late in the period when Toronto couldn't get the puck out of its own end and Scott Hartnell took control of it behind the Leafs net. Reimer stopped Justin Falk's point shot but couldn't corral the rebound and Wennberg was able to put it home on the backhand at 16:17.

Boyes put Toronto on the board with 2:27 to play in the third, with Reimer on the bench for a sixth attacker, but Dubinsky added an empty-netter in the final seconds.

NOTES: Shawn Matthias took James van Riemsdyk's spot on Toronto's top line. Van Riemsdyk missed his first game since fracturing his foot. ... Jones' assist on Jenner's goal was his first point for the Blue Jackets since being acquired from Nashville last week.