This series with Ottawa this season has been weird. The first meeting was a shutout by the Senators in Nationwide Arena, yet the Blue Jackets outshot them 42-28. Three days later, the teams met again – this time in Ottawa – and it was all goals all the time. With Joonas Korpisalo in net, Ottawa scored three unanswered goals in the second, then Columbus responded with three straight in the third before Ottawa tied it. Cam Atkinson scored the winner in OT.
Ottawa finds themselves in the thick of the Atlantic Division playoff picture. They are current in second place, six pionts behind Montreal and two points ahead of Boston. Weirdly, to this point they have scored exactly as many goals as they have allowed.
The Senators have some familiar faces, with former Jackets Mark Methot and Derick Brassard, and former Buckeye Ryan Dzingel. They have a new face in Alex Burrows, who they acquired from Vancouver prior to the trade deadline and who scored both goals in a 2-1 in his Sens debut.
In CBJ roster news, T.J. Tynan was recalled from Cleveland on an emergency basis. Aaron Portzline reports that Brandon Dubinsky left practice yesterday, but Torts called it “maintenance.” After the debacle of last week, it’s refreshing to see the team carry that spare forward again. It is a well earned promotion for Tynan, if only a temporary one. He has been a hard worker in the pipeline and has developed into a key player for the Monsters. I hope the Notre Dame product makes the most of his opportunity.
Matt Calvert and Lukas Sedlak are both still out, though Portzline reported that they each skated apart from the team. Certainly new arrival Lauri Korpikoski will remain in the lineup. Kyle Quincey may make way for Markus Nutivaara to return, but Quincey played well enough in his Jackets debut that perhaps another defender will get a rest day instead (COUGHmurrayCOUGH)
Here’s what you need to know…
Saturday, March 4, 2017 – 7:00 EST
Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario
TV: Fox Sports Ohio; Radio: 97.1 WBNS FM
Opponent’s Blog: Silver Seven
Columbus Blue Jackets, 40-16-6, 86 points, 2nd Metro, 2nd East
vs.
Ottawa Senators, 34-22-6, 74 points, 2nd Atlantic (more like AtLOLtic), 6th East
Season Series
01/19/17 OTT 2 @ CBJ 0
01/22/17 CBJ 7(OT) @ OTT 6
03/04/17 CBJ @ OTT
Stats
| Ottawa | Columbus | |
|---|---|---|
| 2.56 (19) | GPG | 3.19 (5) |
| 2.61 (12) | GAPG | 2.34(3) |
| 16.8% (24) | PP% | 21.5% (8) |
| 82.3% (11) | PK% | 82.6% (10) |
| 48.20% (22) | EV Corsi % | 50.49% (15) |
| 99.2 (22) | EV PDO | 101.7 (4) |
| Mark Stone and Kyle Turris, 22 | G Leader | Cam Atkinson, 29 |
| Erik Karlsson (he good), 45 | A Leader | Alexander Wennberg, 40 |
| Erik Karlsson, 55 | P Leader | Cam Atkinson, 53 |
| Mark Borowiecki, 105 | PIM Leader | Josh Anderson, 64 |
| 17-10-6 | Home / Road | 17-7-5 |
| 6-4-0 | Last 10 | 6-4-0 |
Projected Lineups
| Boone Jenner | Brandon Dubinsky | Cam Atkinson |
| Nick Foligno | Alexander Wennberg | BJORKSTRAND |
| Brandon Saad | Sam Gagner | Scott Hartnell |
| Lauri Korpikoski | William Karlsson | Josh Anderson |
| Zach Werenski | Seth Jones |
| Jack Johnson | David Savard |
| Ryan Murray | Markus Nutivaara/Kyle Quincey |
| Sergei Bobrovsky |
| Joonas Korpisalo |
| Alex Burrows | Derick Brassard | Mark Stone |
| Mike Hoffman | Zack Smith | Kyle Turris |
| Ryan Dzingel | Jean-Gabriel Pageau | Tom Pyatt |
| Viktor Stalberg | Chris Kelly | Tommy Wingels |
| Mark Methot | Erik Karlsson |
| Dion Phaneuf | Cody Ceci |
| Mark Borowiecki | Chris Wideman |
| Craig Anderson |
| Mike Condon |