Music: {allcanada} MacArthur, Scrivens lead Leafs past Blue Jackets

Thursday, November 3, 2011

{allcanada} MacArthur, Scrivens lead Leafs past Blue Jackets

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)—Clarke MacArthur (notes) scored twice in his 300th career game, providing all the offense needed to make Ben Scrivens (notes) a winner in his NHL debut, and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1 on Thursday night.

Joey Crabb (notes) and John-Michael Liles (notes) also scored for the fast-starting Maple Leaps. Joffrey Lupul (notes) added two assists.

Scrivens stopped 38 shots, including a few early that allowed Toronto to build a 4-0 lead despite playing its second game in two nights.

Phil Kessel (notes), with 10 goals and 10 assists in the team's first 12 games, was limited to one assist.

Ryan Johansen (notes), a rookie the Blue Jackets elected to keep on the roster this week despite triggering his 10-game entry-level contract, scored his third.

The Maple Leafs scored four goals on 11 shots against Columbus goalie Steve Mason (notes) before he was pulled in the second period. He was met with derisive cheers on several stops.

The Blue Jackets outshot Toronto 39-18 but were never in it.

The 25-year-old Scrivens was at his best in the opening period. He stopped Kris Russell (notes) with a blocker save at the doorstep and also stymied Rick Nash (notes) on a point-blank jam shot.

Scrivens has played 38 minor league games with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League since spending four seasons in net at Cornell. He was 13-12-5 with a 2.33 goals-against average and .924 save percentage a season ago with the Marlies and 4-1-0 with a 2.41 and .908 this season.

He was recalled from the Marlies on Oct. 27 to back up starter Jonas Gustavsson (notes) while James Reimer (notes) recovers from an undisclosed injury.

The Blue Jackets outshot the Maple Leafs 11-4 in the opening period, yet trailed 2-0.

The Maple Leafs, who are 5-3-1 when scoring first, got on the board on their first shot at the 6:09 mark. Crabb was all alone in the high slot when Lupul found him with a nice backhand feed that Crabb fired past Mason high on the glove side for his second goal in two games this season.

During the delay after the goal, Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel called his team to the bench and gestured angrily while making a point.

Late in the period, MacArthur carried the puck into the zone and his hard shot from the top of the left circle eluded Mason below his blocker, touching off a cascade of boos.

Toronto then scored in the opening minute of the second period when Liles' shot from the left dot, with Kessel providing traffic in front, slipped past Mason. Shortly after, McArthur tallied his sixth in the last five games when his shot on a 2-on-1 spelled the end of the night for the beleaguered Mason.

NOTES: Lupul had three goals in the second period during a 5-3 win at New Jersey on Wednesday night. … Opponents have scored first in nine of Columbus' first 13 games. The Blue Jackets are 0-8-1 in those games. … D Marc Methot (notes) (broken thumb) returned to the Blue Jackets after missing five games. … It was the fourth time Toronto (3-0-0-1) has played at Nationwide Arena. … Allen York (notes) had seven saves in as many shots for Columbus. … The Blue Jackets, 28th in the NHL with a man advantage, were 0 for 4 on the power play.