Aston-Reese scores twice in Maple Leafs win against Blue Jackets

TORONTO --Zach Aston-Reese scored twice, and the Toronto Maple Leafs increased their lead for second place in the Atlantic Division with a 4-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday.

"We had a similar situation the other night against Detroit (a 5-2 loss on Sunday) playing a team that has no playoff hopes, so I think when you go into that, it's important that you focus your mindset on it's not going to be an easy night and a night off," Aston-Reese said. "I think if you look at our record against teams that have been out of the playoffs, it's probably not as good as it should be and everyone was aware of that going into tonight. It was a good team win and everybody pulled their weight."
Aston-Reese had his second two-goal game of the season, and Joseph Woll made 24 saves for the Maple Leafs (46-21-10), who lead the Tampa Bay Lightning, their first-round opponent in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, by six points in the Atlantic with five games left for each team. Sam Lafferty had two assists.
"It was good, it was nice to get the two points," Woll said. "Every game is important right now as we move towards the playoffs, so I'm just happy we got the win."
Jet Greaves made 46 saves for the Blue Jackets (24-45-8) in his NHL debut.
"Something now you can kind of think about and look back on," said Greaves, who was born in nearby Cambridge, Ontario. "I mean, it's a dream come true. It's really special to be able to not only play my first NHL game, but to be able to do it at home with so many family and friends in attendance is really special, but it's kind of one of those things where, in the moment, it's just another hockey game."
Alex Kerfoot put the Maple Leafs up 2-1 at 7:25 of the second period when he scored on a rebound after Greaves stopped a point blank one-timer from Nick Abruzzese with his outstretched left arm.

Aston-Reese made it 3-1 at 8:11 of the third period when he deflected Jake McCabe's point shot.
Eric Robinson cut it to 3-2 at 12:03 when he outraced Toronto defenseman Justin Holl in the neutral zone and shot to the short side over Woll's right shoulder.
Auston Matthews scored into an empty net with 1:03 remaining for the 4-2 final.
"It was a challenging game here tonight," Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. "… Ultimately, this was really kind of a perfect game for us in a lot of ways. We had the puck a lot and [were] in control of the game, yet it's still keeping us honest and keeping us playing with the mindset that's going to be required here the rest of the way."
Toronto took a 1-0 lead at 5:10 of the first period when Aston-Reese received a pass from Holl and shot to the glove side from the bottom of the right face-off circle.

"I knew [our guys] were going to play hard with Jet in," Columbus coach Brad Larsen said. "He was outstanding tonight. I thought he looked very calm. I don't fault him on any of the goals at all. For your first game in the NHL, to play in this building and be from here, there's a lot going on in his head I'm sure before the game. But they scored early, you get a little nervous for him, but he settled in. He looked really poised in the net tonight."
Jack Roslovic, who missed two games with an upper-body injury, tied it 1-1 at 12:22 when he took a pass in the high slot from Kent Johnson and shot past Woll's blocker.
Woll has won his past four starts, allowing six goals.
"I think if you look at his stats, they're pretty impressive," Aston-Reese said. "… He's been a brick wall for us, you know."
Woll was an emergency recall from Toronto of the American Hockey League on Tuesday with Matt Murray day to day after sustaining a head injury Sunday. Ilya Samsonov was the backup after starting two games in a row Wednesday and Saturday, then relieving Murray in the first period Sunday.
"My plan for this year was to just be ready whenever I'm called," Woll said, "and regardless of what happens, I try my best to stay ready for the opportunity. And for Matt, I hope he comes back as soon as he can be."
NOTES: Greaves set a record for the most saves in a Blue Jackets debut and became the seventh goalie with at least 46 saves in an NHL debut since 1955-56, when shots on goal began being tracked. The record is 49, shared by Laurent Brossoit (for the Edmonton Oilers on April 9, 2015) and Manny Legace (for the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 21, 1998). ... Matthews' goal was his 297th in the NHL, moving him past George Armstrong and Frank Mahovlich for sole possession of sixth in Toronto history.