Blue Jackets finally score, get win against Sens

The Columbus Blue Jackets ended a three-game losing streak and a lengthy goalless drought on Tuesday with a 5-2 victory over the visiting Ottawa Senators.

Mathieu Olivier and Justin Danforth tallied a goal and an assist apiece in the victory. Dmitri Voronkov, Sean Monahan and Adam Fantilli also scored, while Kent Johnson helped on both third-period goals. Elvis Merzlikins made 33 saves.

Thomas Chabot scored a goal and assisted on Fabian Zetterlund's first goal in a Senators sweater. Claude Giroux, Drake Batherson and David Perron earned assists, and Anton Forsberg stopped 30 shots.

The Blue Jackets (35-33-9, 79 points) also stopped Ottawa's three-game winning streak and prevented the Senators (42-30-6, 90 points) from clinching a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs -- briefly. Ottawa still secured its first postseason appearance since 2017 thanks to the Montreal Canadiens beating the Detroit Red Wings 4-1.

Columbus saw its goalless streak end at 152:04 when Voronkov netted his 21st of the season from the high slot exactly seven minutes into the game. That was also the first goal Ottawa surrendered in exactly 160 minutes.

Danforth added to the lead with 3:22 left in the period.

Zetterlund would cut the deficit in half with 3:42 to go in the second period on the power play. It was his 18th on the season but his first in 16 games since the San Jose Sharks dealt him a month ago.

Olivier restored the two-goal lead with :21.6 remaining in the period when the puck ricocheted off his skate. Erik Gudbranson, playing in his 800th career game, assisted along with Danforth.

Monahan scored on a power play to make it 4-1 with 17:23 left, thanks to Johnson and Zach Werenski, who earned his 55th helper on the season. Fantilli gave Columbus a four-goal lead nine minutes later.

Merzlikins continued his stellar play against Ottawa. He entered Tuesday having posted a 2.34 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage in nine games (2-2-2). He stopped 22 of 23 shots in Sunday's 4-0 loss in Ottawa, coming in after the Senators scored twice in the first five minutes.

--Field Level Media