TORONTO -- The Toronto Maple Leafs appear to be a team on the rise as they try not only to secure a playoff spot but also improve their seeding.
They accomplished a little of both Wednesday night in a 5-2 road victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Toronto returns home to face the New Jersey Devils, who are not playoff contenders, Thursday night at Air Canada Centre.
"That's huge, coming into this hostile building," said center Nazem Kadri, who scored his 30th goal Wednesday. "It's a great team we're facing in Columbus and they do a lot of things well, so we had to play a structured game.