TORONTO _ They did what they usually do in the first game of a playoff series on the road.
Joonas Korpisalo made 28 saves for a shutout in his first career playoff game and the Blue Jackets took a 1-0 lead in a best-of-5 series with a 2-0 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday night at Scotiabank Arena.
Technically the road team to start a qualifying round series played within a quarantine "bubble" in Toronto, the Blue Jackets won their straight road opener in a first-round series, dating back to the 2018 playoffs against the Washington Capitals.
Cam Atkinson scored the winning goal to break a 0-0 tie at 1:05 of the third period and Alexander Wennberg scored into an empty net for insurance with 18.2 seconds left, all but assuring Korpisalo of a win in his postseason debut.
Neither team scored in the first, but both sides had some good chances.
Korpisalo and Andersen were sharp in each net, with the Jackets' net-minder making 11 saves and the Leafs' goalie stopping eight. Andersen also got some help from the left post on a hard shot by Zach Werenski on a 3-on-2 rush late in the period.
Each team needed time to establish an offensive rhythm, using up most of the game's first 10 minutes getting a feel for the other team, but that subsided in the second half of the opening frame.
The Blue Jackets created some good scoring chances off rushes up the ice, including one by top center Pierre-Luc Dubois that forced Andersen to make a quick blocker save, and Toronto began to set up shop in the Columbus zone for long stretches.
The Maple Leafs' ability to move the puck forced the Jackets to chase the puck around their own end of the ice and nearly created a goal in the process. Korpisalo made sure it didn't happen, snagging at least two shots with his glove that were bound for the net.
It was more of the same in the second, which remained 0-0 despite the Jackets outshooting the Maple Leafs 14-8 in the period and 22-19 through the first 40 minutes.
The crossbar behind Andersen helped him out again, turning away a shot late in the second by Seth Jones, and both goalies made outstanding saves near the end of the period to keep it 0-0.
Korpisalo made the first one with 3:44 left � bringing the Jackets' bench to their feet with a sprawling glove save � and Anderson countered 1:39 later with a great stop right in front of the Toronto net.
Korpisalo's denied Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews, who was set up with a one-timer from between the circles off a feed from William Nylander behind the net. Andersen then got his left pad on a shot by Oliver Bjorkstrand, who received a nice pass from Dubois in front of the net and attempted to slide the puck underneath the goalie.
