Quote of the Game
Pierre-Luc Dubois: "It's not the easiest game to play in but everybody feels good after a win regardless of how they played. I don't think we played perfect, but we talked about a couple of points before the game that we have to get better at for the playoffs and I thought we did a good job of that tonight."
CBJ Notables
Quick Recap
Columbus took advantage of an Senators team that entered in last place in the Eastern Conference with three early goals.
It was 1-0 just 3:39 into the game as Dubois opened the scoring. Artemi Panarin came into the zone with speed and fed Dubois in the left circle, and he let go a quick shot that snuck under the bar but over Anderson to give Columbus the lead.
The Jackets then scored a pair of goals just 1:25 apart to make it a three-goal first period. First, Bjorkstrand deked into the zone along the right side and then send a cross-crease feed back to the left for Nutivaara to slam home at 9:08. Dubois followed with his second goal on an odd play, as he found the puck at the post and whacked at it, and it popped in the air and went over the shoulder of Anderson before settling in the net.
Meanwhile, Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo didn't have to do much in the first, but he did turn aside four shots by former Columbus forward Anthony Duclair, including a grade-A chance from the slot late in the period.
Blue Jackets rookie Texier nearly got his first NHL goal in his second game a few minutes into the second, as Bjorkstrand set him up on a 2-on-0, but his shot drilled the post and caromed away harmlessly.
Ottawa then drew one back at 8:10 of the second as defenseman Thomas Chabot scored his 14th of the year. Chabot kept the puck in at the line and got it to Brian Gibbons, who returned the pass before Chabot put a backhander from the low slot over Korpisalo's glove.
Columbus restored the three-goal lead, though, with 4:25 left in the second as Texier didn't make a mistake this time when given the chance. Again, Bjorkstrand set him up, this time on a 3-on-1 rush, and he made no mistake, gathering the puck and firing over Anders Nilsson's blocker to make it 4-1.
The Blue Jackets then nearly saw history as Cam Atkinson tried to break his tie atop the team's single-season record book for goal scoring as he intercepted a pass and had a breakaway just 10 seconds into the frame. Atkinson deked out Nilsson and seemed to have he record-breaker on his stick, but the goalie reached back and snagged the puck with his glove as it hit the goal line.
Ottawa then made it a 4-2 game with 13:28 left as Mikkel Boedker scored. He got loose alone in front and took a pass from Chris Tierney before beating Korpisalo by the glove.
Korpisalo then had to stand on his head and make the best of his 27 saves to keep it a two-goal game with about 11:30 to play as Duclair sped in, got around the defenseman and shot the puck, but Korpisalo got the pad to the post just in the nick of time.
