Music: {allcanada} REIMER COULD BE BACK IN NET AS LEAFS WRAP UP TRIP IN COLUMBUS

Thursday, November 3, 2011

{allcanada} REIMER COULD BE BACK IN NET AS LEAFS WRAP UP TRIP IN COLUMBUS

(Sports Network) - The Toronto Maple Leafs will try to cap a three-game road trip with a win when they visit the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets tonight at Nationwide Arena.

The Maple Leafs also hope to have James Reimer back in the crease tonight. The second-year backstop has been out since sustaining head and neck injuries on Oct. 22, but he has returned to practice and could get the start tonight.

Jonas Gustavsson has been solid in Reimer's absence, posting a 4-2-0 record in starting the last six games for Toronto. Ben Scrivens had been serving as Gustavsson's backup, but has still yet to see action in an NHL game.

Reimer is 4-0-1 with a 2.58 goals-against average this season. He has never faced the Blue Jackets.

Toronto won for the third time in four games Wednesday night in New Jersey. Joffrey Lupul had a hat trick, with all three goals coming in the second period, as the Maple Leafs spoiled Martin Brodeur's return in net for New Jersey with a 5-3 victory over the Devils.

Lupul recorded his first hat trick since December 15, 2007, when he was a member of the Flyers. It's Lupul's third career hat trick and his three goals on Wednesday all came within 6:42 of each other.

Joey Crabb and Mikhail Grabovski also netted goals for Toronto, which got two assists from Phil Kessel to give him an NHL-leading 20 points on the season.

Gustavsson made 19 saves to move to 4-3-0 on the season.

Toronto has split a pair of games on its road trip and is 3-3-0 as the visiting team this year.

Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets have just two wins this season, but both of them have come over the last four games. Columbus earned two points in its most recent outing, downing the visiting Anaheim Ducks by a 3-1 score on Sunday.

Rick Nash, Ryan Johansen and Fedor Tyutin each had a goal for the 2-9-1 Blue Jackets. Steve Mason needed to make just 19 saves for the win.

"Tonight we got the job done, but it's one game," Nash said. "We've still only won two games this year. We're still not even anywhere close to satisfied."

Both of the Jackets' two victories have come in Ohio, where the club is 2-3-1 this season.

Columbus is expected to have Marc Methot back tonight after the defenseman missed the last five games with a broken right thumb.

The Blue Jackets won their only meeting against the Leafs last season, posting a 3-2 regulation win in Toronto. Columbus has taken two of three in the series, but Toronto has four wins over the last six encounters. The Leafs have also won their last two tests at Nationwide Arena.