The Columbus Blue Jackets are back home on Tuesday night, hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs at Nationwide Arena with puck drop set for 7 p.m. Eastern. It is the first meeting of the season between the two clubs, and both arrive in Columbus looking to steady an uneven start to the 2026-27 campaign.
Columbus enters the night at 3-4-0, while Toronto comes in at 4-4-2 on the second night of a back-to-back. The Blue Jackets are coming off a 2-1 loss to Minnesota on Sunday, one night after a 1-0 overtime win over the New York Rangers, a weekend that summed up a team still searching for consistent scoring.
Toronto snapped a winless stretch with a 3-1 victory over San Jose less than 24 hours earlier, and the Leafs will try to carry that momentum across the border into a building where Columbus has won three of the last four meetings. The Blue Jackets have also earned points in seven of their last nine games against Toronto overall.
Kent Johnson leads Columbus with four goals in the early going, and defenseman Zach Werenski has added six assists from the blue line. For Toronto, Auston Matthews and William Nylander remain the players Columbus has to account for on every shift, particularly on a power play that has been among the league’s most productive in the opening weeks.
Columbus, by contrast, has struggled on special teams in the early season, and staying out of the penalty box will matter against a Toronto team that can change a game with one man advantage. The Blue Jackets have scored just one goal in each of their last two games, putting the focus on finishing chances at even strength.
Tuesday’s game is also a chance for Columbus to protect home ice before the schedule turns again. Nationwide Arena crowds have seen high-scoring games in this series in recent seasons, with the Blue Jackets scoring five or more goals in five of their past six wins over Toronto.
The game will be carried on ESPN+ and the Blue Jackets’ television network. After Tuesday, Columbus continues its early-season slate still looking to climb out of the lower half of the Metropolitan Division, while Toronto heads home trying to turn one road win into a streak.