Columbus Blue Jackets: 3 keys to beating Maple Leafs in qualifying round

3. Defense Vs. Offense

If you look at the standings, the Maple Leafs and the Columbus Blue Jackets are pretty identical. Both teams have played 70 games and both teams have 81 points.

However, their playing styles couldn’t be more different. Toronto relies heavily on their offense. They attack you in waves and every one of their forward lines is a threat to score. The Leafs scored the second most goals in the NHL while allowing the seventh most.

Meanwhile, Columbus is more defensively oriented. They struggle to score, as their 180 goals scored has them tied for 27th in the league. However, thanks to their excellent defense and surprisingly strong goaltending, they’ve allowed just 183 goals. Only the Boston Bruins and the Dallas Stars allowed fewer.

This makes for a fascinating matchup between an elite offense and an elite defense. Last year, the Blue Jackets were able to shut down the Lightning by being opportunistic and not letting Tampa do much. They’ll have to be equally aggressive and efficient to shut down the Leafs.

The Blue Jackets will be getting some reinforcements back. Most notably, they’re getting back Seth Jones, who, when healthy, is a borderline Norris Trophy candidate. Getting him back healthy could tilt the series in favor of the Blue Jackets.