Maple Leafs at Blue Jackets
THE STORY: James Reimer will likely make his return Thursday night - and he may not find an easier opponent at this point in the season. The star netminder leads the Toronto Maple Leafs into Columbus for a date with the struggling Blue Jackets. Reimer hasn't played since suffering a suspected concussion in an Oct. 22 game against the Montreal Canadiens. The 23-year-old Manitoba native was 4-0-1 at the time of the injury, and the Maple Leafs have performed well in his absence. The club is coming off an impressive 5-3 win over the New Jersey Devils a night earlier. The Blue Jackets haven't looked good at all so far this season, ranked last in the NHL in victories, points and goals against. Major changes could be in the offing if the club doesn't start racking up the wins - a difficult task against a Toronto team playing some of the best hockey in the league.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Rogers Sportsnet Ontario, Fox Sports Ohio
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (8-3-1): Credit Toronto general manager Brian Burke for stealing forward Joffrey Lupul from the Anaheim Ducks. Lupul came to the Maple Leafs, along with blue liner Jake Gardiner, in a trade that sent veteran defenseman Francois Beauchemin back to California. Lupul has been sensational so far this season, scoring eight goals - three of which came in the second period of Wednesday's triumph over the Devils. The 28-year-old has recorded 14 points through the first 12 games this season.
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (2-9-1): If there's anything the Blue Jackets can consider encouraging so far, it's the club's recent play at home. Columbus has won two straight games in its own building, outscoring Detroit and Anaheim by a 7-2 margin in that span. Star forward Rick Nash continues to be the team's offensive leader, racking up 10 points through the first 12 games. Defenseman James Wisniewski has also impressed with four points in four games since coming back from a season-opening suspension.
OVERTIME:
1. Columbus earned a 3-2 victory in the only meeting between the teams last season. Toronto has won six of the last nine encounters overall.
2. Nash, a Toronto-area native, has two goals and four assists in seven career games against the Maple Leafs.
3. Toronto's Phil Kessel was named October's player of the month after recording a league-best 10 goals and eight assists in 11 games. He added a pair of helpers in Wednesday's win and is one of only three forwards (Nicklas Backstrom, Henrik Sedin) with double-digit assists on the season.