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Budding issues? Columbus crushes Toronto 6-0

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For some - especially many fans in the building on Monday - the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 6-0 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets is on James Reimer’s head. Others believe that the Buds’ budding issues go much deeper than that.

The Globe & Mail’s James Mirtle probably summarizes the “deeper issues” argument most succinctly: the Leafs have only won two of their last 10 games in regulation, scoring a mere 16 goals in that span.

(Slight bright side: Toronto eked out two shootout wins, so it eases the pain a bit that the Leafs are 4-5-1 in those 10 contests.)

Wherever you rest the blame, it was a lousy night for Toronto, as Columbus scored two goals in each period for a resounding win. Possibly losing Joffrey Lupul could add an injury to the insults.

Ryan Johansen scored two goals and one assist while Ryan Murray collected a tally and helper of his own as Sergei Bobrovsky generated his first shutout of 2013-14.

While Toronto may or may not be concerned about its recent play, the Blue Jackets probably feel solid about their five-game road trip through Canada. While they suffered two blowout losses (7-0 vs. Edmonton on Nov. 19, 6-2 vs. Vancouver on Nov. 22), they managed a 3-2-0 record. Not bad for a team that lost three straight games before they went on the road.

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins