PREVIEW: Blue Jackets take on Ottawa at Nationwide

The Blue Jackets made some history on Tuesday night in one of the weirdest games statistically you’ll see in the NHL.

Columbus had 98 shot attempts including 41 on goal, but they couldn’t beat Montreal goaltender Cayden Primeau in a 3-0 shutout loss. The number of shot attempts was a franchise record and was also the most in an NHL game since at least 2013-14 in which a team was shut out.

Generally, if you have a 98-44 edge in shot attempts, that means you played a pretty good game, but the Blue Jackets also ceded the three goals in the first six minutes. The Blue Jackets had to try to play catch up, which in some ways led to the high number of attempts, and the early hole was too much to overcome on this night.

It didn’t help that the Blue Jackets were without Kirill Marchenko because of illness and lost forwards Yegor Chinakhov and Sean Kuraly to injuries during the contest. As such, head coach Pascal Vincent was at least pleased with the way his team pushed to get back in the game despite all the adversity.

“It was not the start we expected,” he said Wednesday. “But being there behind those guys, knowing how hard they worked last night – we lost Chinakhov in the first period, Marchenko couldn’t play, we lost Kurls in the third – but the intensity and for them to believe until the last minute that we could come back ... the mind-set was right.

“It was a strange game, for sure. It’s way up there. (We had) three breakaways, (hit) a few posts. It’s one of those nights where you evaluate the team and you say, ‘OK, the score doesn’t indicate the game at all.’”

Defenseman Zach Werenski saw it in a similar vein.

“It's not the start we want by any means,” he said. “It's three quick goals – kind of a miscommunication on the first one, a power-play goal for them and then a tip up front. I mean, it wasn't like 2-on-1s or breakaways and stuff like that. Obviously you can't really spot a team with three goals in the NHL that quickly and expect to win.

“But I thought we rebounded really well and played hard for the next 55 minutes of the game. Their goalie played well, but when you spot a team three goals, it’s definitely a hard night to win.”

The Blue Jackets get right back at it tonight against Ottawa in Nationwide Arena, but it might be another tough night on the personnel front. Kuraly is out and Marchenko could return, but the team had to dip into the minor leagues and call up young wing Mikael Pyyhtia from Cleveland to add enough depth to dress a lineup against the Senators.

No matter who is in the lineup, though, Vincent said nothing changes.

“I would tell you this, the mind-set of our team has been quite, I don’t to say positive, but the mind-set is pretty focused all year on improving, improving, improving,” he said. “It doesn’t change. So even last night, we know Marchy, Chinakhov, they’re not there. They’re NHL players. They can make a difference. But the mind-set stayed the same.

“My approach with the team is if we have enough players to play a hockey game, we’re going to prepare to win this game and the process will be right.”

Know The Foe: Ottawa Senators

Head coach: Jacques Martin (First season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 3.17 (14th) | Scoring defense: 3.51 (28th) | PP: 16.4 percent (27th) | PK: 73.8 percent (30th)

The narrative: The Senators have been one of the most frustrating teams in the league this season, as the hope was a burgeoning young core would help the squad return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Instead, the team was never able to get going, and an 11-15-0 start led to the dismissal of head coach D.J. Smith and the return of Martin, who spent nine seasons coaching the team from 1996 to 2004. Still, the team’s points percentage of .444 is second from last in the Eastern Conference, ahead of only Columbus.

Team leaders: The Sens are a dangerous team offensively, and you could do worse than building around a young core that features Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk. One of the top young players in the game, Stutzle is in the midst of an All-Star season that features a team-best 15-44-59 line, while Tkachuk leads Ottawa with 27 goals among his 52 points. Veteran Claude Giroux still has plenty in him, as he’s second on the team with 54 points (18 goals, 36 assists), while Drake Batherson adds 23-25-48. Jacob Chychrun is the top-scoring defenseman with 31 points, including nine goals.

The top netminder is an old friend in Joonas Korpisalo, who signed long-term in Ottawa this offseason, but he hasn’t really been able to get going this season. Korpisalo is 14-20-4 on the year with a 3.32 GAA and .889 save percentage in 34 games.

What's new: The Senators are 15-18-4 since Martin took over but had dropped seven in a row before a home win Tuesday over Pittsburgh. Injuries have been an issue of late, as the Sens are currently without top defenseman Thomas Chabot as well as center Josh Norris, plus regulars Rourke Chartier and Travis Hamonic.

Trending: The Blue Jackets were an even 17-17-2-2 coming into the season against Ottawa and have split the two games this year – a 4-1 win over the Sens on Dec. 1 in Nationwide Arena and a 6-3 loss Feb. 13 in Ottawa that featured a Tkachuk hat trick. Columbus went 8-1-1 vs. the Sens from 2018-20 but is 3-4-1 since.

Former CBJ: It’s a former CBJ duo in net, as Korpisalo’s top backup is Anton Forsberg, who has posted a 11-10-0 record, 3.29 GAA and .888 save percentage in 16 appearances.

Roster Report

Projected Lineup (subject to change)

Johnny Gaudreau – Boone Jenner – Alex Nylander
Trey Fix-Wolansky – Dmitri Voronkov – Kirill Marchenko
Alexandre Texier – Cole Sillinger – Mikael Pyyhtia
Carson Meyer – Brendan Gaunce – Mathieu Olivier
Zach Werenski – Adam Boqvist
Ivan Provorov – Damon Severson
Jake Bean – Erik Gudbranson
Elvis Merzlikins
Daniil Tarasov

Scratches: Adam Fantilli (calf laceration, out eight weeks as of Jan. 31), Justin Danforth (concussion), Sean Kuraly (lower-body injury, week to week), Yegor Chinakhov (upper body injury, day to day)

Injured reserve: Kent Johnson (torn labrum in left shoulder, out for season)

Roster Report: Pyyhtia will go into the lineup and Marchenko returns from illness, while Kuraly and Chinakhov are out after being injured Tuesday night vs. Montreal. Merzlikins will get the start in net.

3 Stats to Know

• Columbus now has four of the top six scorers from the team’s AHL affiliate in Cleveland on the roster in Trey Fix-Wolansky, Carson Meyer, Brendan Gaunce and Mikael Pyyhtia; all have been called up in the past week.
• Alex Nylander has a 5-2-7 line in nine games since joining the Blue Jackets, and his five goals in the first nine games ties Antoine Vermette and Johnny Gaudreau for the most to start a CBJ tenure.
• Milestone watch: Zach Werenski notched his 200th assist Tuesday to become the first defenseman in CBJ history to reach the mark. He is now four assists from tying David Vyborny for second in team history. ... Damon Severson is three games from 700 for his NHL career (64-218-282, 697 GP). ... Ivan Provorov is three games from 600 for his NHL career (70-175-245, 597 GP).

Who’s Hot

Daniil Tarasov has posted a .941 save percentage in his last seven appearances, stopping 222 of 236 shots against and allowing just 14 goals (2.09 GAA). ... Alexandre Texier saw a career-best five-game point streak (2-4-6) end Tuesday but still has six points (2-4-6) in the last six games and is plus-3 in that span of games. ... Dmitri Voronkov has 17 goals on the year, tied for second among NHL rookies. His 31 points are also tied for fifth among NHL rookies, while his plus-6 rating is tied for fourth among rookies with at least 50 games played. ... Johnny Gaudreau has 16 points (3-13-16) in the last 18 games. ... The team’s rookie stat line of 30-37-67 is first in the NHL in goals and third in points.

This Day in CBJ History

March 14, 2001: Ron Tugnutt notches the third shutout in team history, stopping 30 shots in a 3-0 win vs. Calgary at Nationwide Arena.

March 14, 2013: The National Hockey League announces a realignment plan that has Columbus playing in the Eastern Conference beginning in 2013-14. The Blue Jackets join a division featuring Carolina, New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington.

March 14, 2023: Johnny Gaudreau ties a CBJ single-game franchise record with five points in a 6-5 overtime win at San Jose. Gaudreau had a pair of goals – including the OT winner – and three assists in the game, while Boone Jenner also scored twice.