Penalties cost Maple Leafs in loss to Blue Jackets in Clarkson’s debut

COLUMBUS, Ohio – David Clarkson’s return was supposed to help the Toronto Maple Leafs find an identity.

In his first game in a Leafs uniform following his suspension, Clarkson set the tone for an penalty-filled effort in a 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night at Nationwide Arena.

Clarkson was the first Toronto player to take a penalty, less than five minutes into his debut, and Ryan Murray scored his first NHL goal shortly after. It was the only power-play goal the Blue Jackets scored, but the Leafs’ parade to the penalty box hurt the flow of their game.

Centre Nazem Kadri took three penalties, and defenceman Morgan Rielly and forward Dave Bolland had two apiece. The Leafs spent 11 minutes 23 seconds shorthanded and were outshot largely because of that.

Brandon Dubinsky scored what turned out to be the game-winner shorthanded at the 12:27 mark of the third. It was a 4-on-3 situation in part because of Kadri’s third penalty of the night.

Clarkson finished with four shots, two penalty minutes and a minus-1 rating in 15:10 of ice time.

Despite a 36-25 shot disparity, goaltender Jonathan Bernier was solid in his third straight start, finishing with 31 saves.

Bernier gave one up early with Clarkson off for hooking Nick Foligno. Defenceman James Wisniewski’s shot from the point went through a crowd, hit Bernier and bounced to Murray, who buried the rebound to score his first NHL goal.

Bernier made up for it by robbing Cam Atkinson with his stick across the goal-line to keep the Leafs from falling behind 2-0.

Toronto’s top line got it back 40 seconds in the second period when James van Riemsdyk’s shot went off the glove of former Philadelphia Flyers teammate Sergei Bobrovsky. Bozak found Phil Kessel streaking to the net, and the right-winger scored his sixth goal of the season into an empty net.

But the penalties piled up for the Leafs along the way. Marian Gaborik, whom Clarkson bugged frequently when they were part of the New York Rangers-New Jersey Devils rivalry, scored the go-ahead goal for the Blue Jackets 3:12 into the third.

That goal came not too long after the Leafs killed off Kadri’s second penalty.

After Dubinsky’s short-handed goal, Bolland scored to cut Columbus’ lead to 3-2. But Ryan Johansen scored an empty-netter, and Foligno added another against Bernier in the waning seconds to make it three victories in a row for the Blue Jackets.

Bobrovsky, last year’s Vezina Trophy winner, stopped 23 of the 25 shots he faced.

NOTES – Kessel left the game briefly at the end of the second period and went down the tunnel toward the locker-room. He returned at the start of the third period, and the reason for his absence was not immediately clear. … Blue Jackets winger Jared Boll was in the lineup after missing the morning skate with a stomach virus.