Early look The full preview opens on Saturday 17 October, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Toronto Maple Leafs at Columbus Blue Jackets: game preview

Puck drop20 Oct · 7:00 PM ET
VenueNationwide Arena
All-time meetings51 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Fourteen points apart last season

Toronto finished last season 28th in the league on 78 points. Columbus finished 17th on 92.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 52

Across 51 completed games, Columbus lead the head-to-head 27-22-2.

All-time record27-22-2Columbus's record in the series
Meetings played51This is number 52
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Columbus
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
26 Nov 2025TOR 2 – CBJ 1 OT——TOR
20 Nov 2025CBJ 3 – TOR 2 OT——CBJ
29 Oct 2025TOR 3 – CBJ 6——CBJ
5 Apr 2025CBJ 0 – TOR 5——TOR
22 Jan 2025CBJ 5 – TOR 1——CBJ
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateTorontoColumbus
29 Oct 20255-5-1 · 11 pts21st6-4-0 · 12 pts14th
20 Nov 20259-9-3 · 21 pts27th11-8-2 · 24 pts17th
26 Nov 202510-10-3 · 23 pts27th11-9-4 · 26 pts20th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 29 Oct 2025, Toronto were 21st in the league and Columbus 14th. By 26 Nov 2025 it was 27th and 20th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Toronto out-attempted Columbus 196 to 190

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Toronto Maple Leafs

196 att · 89 on goal · 7 G · 7.9%
Crease20 att · 1 G
Slot78 att · 3 G
Wing69 att · 2 G
Point23 att · 1 G
Neutral zone6 att · 0 G

Columbus Blue Jackets

190 att · 90 on goal · 10 G · 11.1%
Crease15 att · 2 G
Slot63 att · 4 G
Wing79 att · 4 G
Point31 att · 0 G
Neutral zone2 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Columbus have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

TorontoColumbus
3.40xG for per game2.43
3.21xG against per game2.78
51.4%xG share46.7%
−2.6FinishingGoals minus expected goals+2.1
+1.9GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−1.4

This season: 4 games for Toronto, 2 for Columbus. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Toronto

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2721.4%
Power play · 2025-2621.3% · 15th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2790.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.2% · 8th
Faceoffs · 2026-2751.1% · 113/221
Drawn · 2026-2714 (3.50/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Columbus

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2740.0%
Power play · 2025-2618.9% · 22nd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2766.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2676.0% · 28th
Faceoffs · 2026-2755.9% · 71/127
Drawn · 2026-275 (2.50/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (4.50/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
34Auston Matthews42351.25
91John Tavares41230.75
89Matthew Knies22242.00
3Charlie Coyle20331.50
91Kent Johnson21121.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
44Morgan Rielly40330.75
43Darren Raddysh40110.25
8Zach Werenski20221.00
36Emil Andrae20110.50
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 19 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 18 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Toronto crease

TOR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Oct

Sergei Bobrovsky.8872 GP · 0-2-0 · GSAx +0.1
Anthony Stolarz.9042 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +0.6

No appearances against Columbus in the last meetings.

Columbus crease

CBJ · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Oct

Jet Greaves.8772 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx −1.4

No appearances against Toronto in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.4 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

26 Nov 20253 · TOR 2–1 CBJ
20 Nov 20255 · CBJ 3–2 TOR
29 Oct 20259 · TOR 3–6 CBJ
5 Apr 20255 · CBJ 0–5 TOR
22 Jan 20256 · CBJ 5–1 TOR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Toronto2.752.753.093.65
Columbus3.503.503.093.09

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.4Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings5.6Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

5 on the injury lists

Toronto · injuries

Cade WebberElbowIRReturn31 Oct
Dakota JoshuaAbdomenIRReturn24 Oct
Elvis MerzlikinsShoulderIRReturn30 Mar
Max DomiBackIRReturn21 Nov
William VilleneuveKneeIRReturn31 Oct

Columbus · injuries

No players listed.

5 Oct · TOR

Placed RW Nikita Grebenkin on injured reserve.

30 Sep · TOR

Moved C Max Domi from the non-roster list to long-term injured reserve.

29 Sep · TOR

Placed D Cade Webber on the injured non-roster list.

6 Oct · CBJ

Placed LW Mikael Pyyhtia on waivers.

1 Oct · CBJ

Placed D Ivan Provorov on injured reserve.

27 Sep · CBJ

Assigned G Pheonix Copley to Cleveland (AHL).

Injury report
#1Gavin McKennaRound 1 · Penn StateLW
#60Alexander BileckiRound 2 · KitchenerD
#69Ethan MacKenzieRound 3 · EdmontonD
#73Zach OlsenRound 3 · SaskatoonRW
Full draft
#14Oscar HemmingRound 1 · Boston CollegeLW
#94Alessandro Di IorioRound 3 · SarniaC
#121Evan JardineRound 4 · YoungstownLW
#142Parker SnellRound 5 · EdmontonG
Full draft

Updated after every final