Maple Leafs winger Kirill Marchenko was booed every time he touched the puck.
asserted
he → boo → puck
He was booed even louder when he scored.
asserted
he → boo → ?
It didn’t bother him.
asserted
It → bother → him
And it didn’t bother the Maple Leafs, who emerged as 6-2 winners over the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night at Columbus’s Nationwide Arena.
asserted
who → bother → Arena
A Tuesday night October game in Columbus doesn’t usually have this much juice, but the pre-season trade that sent Marchenko to the Leafs with Matthew Knies going the other way added emotion.
asserted
that → have → emotion
“It’s fine.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
I was ready for that,” said Marchenko.
asserted
Marchenko → say → that
“I can’t control that.
asserted
I → control → that
I appreciate these fans.
asserted
I → appreciate → fans
I do my work on the ice.
asserted
I → do → ice
I can take heat if we win the game.”
asserted
we → take → game
Following a 3-1 win over San Jose on Monday, the Leafs won two in a row for the first time this season.
asserted
Leafs → follow → time
Marchenko got the Leafs’ first goal.
asserted
Marchenko → get → goal
It wasn’t a beauty, but it counted.
asserted
it → count → ?
Auston Matthews — whose hot start continued — fed a cross-crease pass that ricocheted off Marchenko’s skate to beat Jet Greaves to tie the game 1-1 in the first period.
asserted
that → continue → period
“A little different, but a goal is a goal,” said Marchenko.
asserted
Marchenko → say → ?
“It’s always good to score goals.”
asserted
It → ’ → goals
The Leafs blew the game open with four goals in the second: Matthews and William Nylander scored 46 seconds apart while Easton Cowan scored short-handed.
And as if to add salt to the wounds opened with the Marchenko trade, another ex-Blue Jacket — Jack Roslovic, who was born in Columbus — also scored that period and a rough night for Greaves was over.
Adding two assists, Cowan had the first three-point night of his career.
asserted
Cowan → blow → career
Defenceman Marshall Rifai also got his first career goal off a third-period slapshot to put the game away.
asserted
Rifai → get → game
Leafs fans are confused and furious over where — and how much — it costs to watch games.
asserted
it → cost → games
The Leafs suffered another injury on the blue line, however.
asserted
Leafs → suffer → line
Jake McCabe took a high stick from Kent Johnson in the first period and the bloodied defenceman did not return to the game.
asserted
defenceman → take → game
Despite allowing the first goal of the game on the first shot, Stolarz was full value for the win.
asserted
Stolarz → allow → win
The Blue Jackets fired 34 shots at the Leaf net.
asserted
Jackets → fire → net
Columbus fans cheered when Adam Fantilli levelled Marchenko in the first period.
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Fantilli → cheer → period
Marchenko laughed it off.
asserted
Marchenko → laugh → it
And perhaps humorously, Columbus’s second goal — a behind-the-net outlet shot by Charlie Coyle — went off Marchenko’s stick to go into the Leaf net.
asserted
goal → go → net
Emil Andrae, who was also involved in the trade, got an assist on the play.
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who → involve → play
“He’s a Maple Leaf now and we’ve got him,” coach Jim Hiller said before the game.
asserted
Hiller → ’ → game
“However it goes, he’s with us and we have his back.”
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we → go → back
As much as it was a homecoming for Marchenko, it was also the first time Knies faced his old team.
asserted
Knies → face → team
“I wish I could have experienced my time in Toronto a little bit longer,” Knies told reporters in Columbus before the game.
uncertain
Knies → wish → game
“But things like that happen.
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things → happen → that
But I’m excited about the opportunity here.
asserted
I → ’m → opportunity
“It’s a fun place to be, a fun group of guys.”
asserted
It → ’ → guys
He said it was “abrupt” how is time as a Leaf ended and was hoping to see a few friends he never got a proper chance to say goodbye too.
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he → say → chance
Though that would wait until after the game.
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that → wait → game
“It’s a little different,” said Knies.
asserted
Knies → ’ → ?
“I’ve never experienced anything like this, looking across and seeing familiar faces.
asserted
I → experience → faces
C Colton Sissons has a four-game points streak.
asserted
Sissons → have → streak
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
