The Leafs looked like the better team for most of the game, but couldn't solve Columbus goalie Elvis Merzlikins.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs faced a tough night on multiple fronts, suffering a 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday and seeing key forward Matthew Knies exit the game with an upper-body injury. The injury occurred late in the second period when Knies delivered a hit on Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko but got the worst of it.

Related: Columbus Blue Jackets (51 pts) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (62 pts) Game Preview. Projected Lineup **Lines Subject to Change Prior to gametime. Dmitri Voronkov - Adam Fantill

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost 5-1 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday (Jan. 22). Despite dictating the pace for most of the matchup, the Leafs didn’t capitalize on their chances, and some defensive lapses resulted in deflating goals against them.

Auston Matthews has had a ton of success against Columbus in his career, and our Maple Leafs vs. Blue Jackets predictions expect that to continue tonight.

Matthew Knies appears to have suffered his second injury this season. The Toronto Maple Leafs forward was throwing a check at Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko late in the second period when he fell to the ice awkwardly. this happened at the end of Knies' last shift he left the bench early pic.twitter.com/ttWe3jVggl

The NHL schedule on Wednesday features a game between the Toronto Maple Leafs (30-16-2) and the Columbus Blue Jackets (22-18-7), starting at 7:30 PM ET at Scotiabank Arena and broadcast on ESPN+. The Maple Leafs rank second and the Blue Jackets ninth in the Eastern Conference.

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced they have sent goaltender Dennis Hildeby to the Toronto Marlies and recalled goaltender Matt Murray. Hildeby gave up four goals on 18 shots against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday night, bringing his season record to 3-3 with a .878 SP and 3.33 GAA.

If no extension is reached by the trade deadline on March 7, the Blue Jackets would likely be in the market to receive a first-round pick offer for Provorov. He is listed as TSN's No. 21 trade-bait player, which is the sixth-overall defenseman and second-overall left-side defenseman.

Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube revealed during his post-game comments that the team left a lot to be desired in 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.