The Columbus Blue Jackets went to Ottawa hoping to discover a strategy to erase what occurred to them on Saturday evening in Toronto. Regardless of their greatest efforts, they have been shutout for the second time within the span of lower than 24 hours.
Linus Ullmark stopped all 30 pictures he confronted. Thomas Chabot had a pair of helpers whereas 4 totally different gamers scored targets to guide the Senators to a 4-0 win over the Blue Jackets. Immediately, the Atlantic Division is a race.
The story of this recreation for the Blue Jackets was discovering themselves in an all too acquainted spot early within the recreation. They have been trailing lower than three minutes into the sport.
Recreation Recap
If the Blue Jackets have been going to salvage a cut up on the weekend, their goaltender was going to need to be the rationale. However simply 2:24 into the sport, Adam Gaudette beat Daniil Tarasov to get the Senators off and operating.
Given how the Blue Jackets have fared of late, even being down 1-0 felt like an enormous mountain to climb. Then lower than two minutes later, it was 2-0 due to a aim by Nikolas Matinpalo.
Dean Evason determined to drag Tarasov as to that time within the recreation, pictures have been 6-0 Senators. This felt like extra of a get up the workforce goalie pull than the rest. Elvis Merzlikins got here into the sport and to his credit score, stored the sport at 2-0 for some time giving his workforce an opportunity to get again into the sport.
That by no means materialized nevertheless. The Blue Jackets had a few small stretches within the recreation the place they’d some pushes. However Ullmark was there to reply all of them. Till the final push with Merzlikins pulled, Ullmark’s life wasn’t made all that troublesome. The Blue Jackets not often bought second or third probabilities to attain.
The Blue Jackets did need to kill a slew of penalties within the second interval wherein they did. That for a second gave them some life to attempt to get again into the sport. They themselves weren’t given any power-play probabilities within the recreation regardless of some missed calls, most notably a high-stick on Yegor Chinakhov that lower him within the face.
David Perron prolonged the Senators result in 3-0 lower than 5 minutes into the third. It stayed that manner till Shane Pinto hit the empty internet from his personal zone to get to the ultimate rating of 4-0.
With the win, the Senators now sit solely two factors again of the Florida Panthers for third within the Atlantic pending the result of their recreation towards the Detroit Pink Wings. They’re nicely positioned to return to the playoffs.
For the Blue Jackets, whereas they’re nonetheless mathematically alive, they’re left to marvel what modified after the Stadium Collection. They’ve gone 4-9-1 since March 6 going from the primary wildcard to now having the tenth worst file within the NHL.
Merzlikins stopped 22 of 23 in reduction of Tarasov one evening after permitting 5 in Toronto. Each Senators skater completed as a plus participant on the sport.
The Blue Jackets and Senators will play once more on Tuesday evening, this time at Nationwide Enviornment for the Senators solely journey to Columbus on the season.
