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

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 Toronto Maple Leafs will play Monday night's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning without forward Max Pacioretty. Pacioretty will be absent due to an upper-body injury that he sustained after taking a shot to the side of the head in Saturday's 7-3 comeback win against the Montreal Canadiens.

TORONTO -- Auston Matthews scored for the fourth straight game and had an assist for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 5-3 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Scotiabank Arena on Monday. The goal was Matthews’ eighth in nine games since his return after missing the previous six because of an upper-body injury.

Lorentz and Woll stood by Matthews after his words on Wednesday, also admitting how special Toronto's fanbase is.

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews didn’t hold back his frustration with the Scotiabank Arena crowd following Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Matthews' comments came within the context of a fight between Maple Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves, in his first fight this season, and Columbus' Mathieu Olivier.

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.

Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves dropped the gloves for the first time this season less than two minutes into the opening period, challenging Mathieu Olivier in a heavyweight bout. The two exchanged gladiator-like blows in a spirited fight before both eventually running out of gas and parting ways.

Leafs captain Auston Matthews isn't exactly happy with what he's hearing — or rather, not hearing — from the fans at Scotiabank Arena.

The club announced on Thursday that they sent rookie goaltender Dennis Hildeby to the Toronto Marlies while simultaneously calling up veteran goaltender Matt Murray. Hildeby made his sixth NHL start on Wednesday but struggled against the Columbus Blue Jackets, allowing four goals on 18 shots in a 5-1 loss.