Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Roman Polak will go before the NHL Department of Player Safety following a boarding call on Columbus Blue Jackets forward Oliver Bjorkstrand, the league announced.

The play occurred in the third period of Wednesday's contest between the Maple Leafs and Blue Jackets. Polak was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct, while Bjorkstrand left with an injury and didn't return.

A quick decision is expected, with the Maple Leafs back in action Thursday against the New Jersey Devils.

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NEW YORK - Andrew Ladd scored the tiebreaking goal with about 7 1/2 minutes remaining in the third period and the New York Islanders rallied for 3-2 victory over the crosstown-rival Rangers on Wednesday night.

Anders Lee had a goal and an assist, and Nikolay Kulemin also scored for the Islanders, who pulled two points behind Boston for the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot. Anthony Beauvillier had two assists and Thomas Greiss stopped 34 shots.

Mats Zuccarello and Rick Nash scored, and Antti Raanta finished with 25 saves for the Rangers, who remained six points behind Columbus for third place in the Metropolitan Division.

The Islanders, who beat the Rangers for the third time in four games this season and seven of eight over the last two, won for just the second time in six games (1-3-1). The Islanders also improved to 17-9-4 since interim coach Doug Weight replaced the fired Jack Capuano.

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The rare teachable moment for Mike Babcock.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were forced to defend an on-ice personnel disparity for almost seven minutes Wednesday versus the Columbus Blue Jackets because their coach decided not to send a man over the boards to serve a five-minute major penalty assessed to Roman Polak.

It's unclear why Babcock hesitated on the decision (or how the rational hasn't burned him previously after more than 1,100 games behind an NHL bench) but coaches do have the option to wait on that selection, instead sending a player to the box during a stoppage.

In most cases, the whistle will come. But it's not something Babcock will take for granted again.

"It's all my fault .. that will never happen again," Babcock said, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton.

"I can tell you I will never wait to put a guy in. You're going whether you like it or not."

As it turns out, the penalty killers picked up their coach. Columbus was without a shot more than four minutes into its power-play try, as the Maple Leafs clamped down on the opposition even well before the near-two-minute bonus was inadvertently added.

Toronto scored twice more after the kill, earning a massive 5-2 win.

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COLUMBUS - William Nylander and Leo Komarov each had a goal and an assist and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 on Wednesday night.

Auston Matthews and Nazem Kadri also scored, and Frederik Andersen had 32 saves as Toronto stayed in the thick of the playoff hunt in the Atlantic Division. Nikita Zaitsev scored an empty-net goal after the Blue Jackets pulled their goalie for a sixth skater near the end.

David Savard and Brandon Saad scored for Columbus, which lost for the first time in the last five games. Backup goaltender Joonas Korpisalo stopped 26 shots. The Blue Jackets stayed in third place in the Metropolitan Division, two points behind leader Washington and one behind Pittsburgh. They play the Capitals in Washington on Thursday night.

The Blue Jackets fought back from a 2-0 first-period deficit to tie the game in the second, but were held scoreless in the final period, despite playing with a man advantage for nearly seven minutes because Toronto had failed to put a player in the box to serve a penalty.

Toronto struck first with 8:55 left in the opening period when the Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski turned the puck over deep in the defensive zone. Nazem Kadri collected it and chipped to Komarov, who beat Korpisalo from the doorstep.

The Maple Leafs took a 2-0 lead less than two minutes later on a power play when 19-year-old rookie Matthews, in the right place at the right time for a rebound, tucked in his team-leading 33rd goal of the season.

Columbus closed it to 2-1 just 43 seconds into the second period. Savard buried a slap shot from the right dot off a sweet pass from Brandon Dubinsky from behind the goal line. The Blue Jackets tied it 6:58 into the period when Saad deflected in a Werenski shot from the left point.

Toronto answered 6:37 left in the period, making 3-2 on a goal by another of its sensational rookies. Nylander, after being leveled by Savard and recovering, caught up with Tyler Bozak pass, found himself on a breakaway and wristed a shot in off the top bar.

A hard-hitting game was punctuated by Toronto's Roman Polak, who unloaded a hit that plastered Oliver Bjorkstrand face first hit into the glass, earning the big defenseman a five-minute major penalty. Bjorkstrand crumpled to the ice and looked as if he may have been unconscious briefly before being helped off.

The Leafs failed to send a player to the box to serve the penalty so ended up playing a man down for close to seven minutes. But the Blue Jackets couldn't capitalize.

Kadri swept in an insurance goal off a rebound with 4:14 left in the game, and Zaitsev had the empty-netter with 2:47 left.

NOTES: Nylander has three goals and six assists in a career-high nine-game point streak. ... Columbus C Alexander Wennberg returned the lineup after missing Sunday's game with a stiff neck. ... Columbus signed forwards Markus Hannikainen and Lukas Sedlak, and D Scott Harrington to two-year contract extensions this week. All would have been restricted free agents this summer. ... Blue Jackets F Scott Hartnell was a healthy scratch.

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Another day, another brilliant Connor McDavid goal.

The Edmonton Oilers captain scored his 26th of the season Wednesday, grabbing a long-range pass before charging in on Anaheim Ducks goalie Jonathan Bernier to put the Oilers ahead.

The goal marked his second point on the night, after he registered an assist on Leon Draisaitl's game-opening tally.

McDavid sits first in NHL scoring with 84 points.

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After 36 years, the Toronto Maple Leafs once again boast two 30-goal centers.

Nazem Kadri hit the benchmark for the first time in his career Wednesday night in a massive victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, scoring an insurance marker with a lunging effort on the doorstep when Joonas Korpisalo failed to control a rebound late.

Toronto's other 30-goal man, rookie Auston Matthews, scored his 33rd goal on the season in the win, which saw the Maple Leafs unseat the Boston Bruins for the third seed in the Atlantic Division.

Kadri's previous career high was 20 goals, a mark equaled nearly two months ago with a pair scored in a 4-0 victory over the Calgary Flames.

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Few things go together better than Rick Nash and pretty goals.

The New York Rangers forward displayed his latest individual effort Wednesday against the rival New York Islanders.

Charging into the Islanders' zone, Nash kicked the puck forward to maintain possession before diving ahead to knock it by netminder Thomas Greiss.

The goal marked Nash's 20th on the season.

(Video courtesy: NHL.com)

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Twenty goals for William Nylander.

The Toronto Maple Leafs rookie notched the tally Wednesday versus the Columbus Blue Jackets, beating netminder Joonas Korpisalo top corner.

It was the second point on the night for Nylander. He recorded an assist in the first period, his ninth straight game with a point to match a franchise record for rookie skaters.

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With 10 games to go, the Pittsburgh Penguins are flying high, having just punched their ticket back to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The video above breaks down a banner week for the Penguins and their captain, Sidney Crosby.

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