Latest news with #MathieuOlivier
New York Times
04-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Blue Jackets Sunday Gathering: Surgery forces Mathieu Olivier to turn down Team USA invite
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A collection of notes, insights, ruminations and did-you-knows gathered throughout the week that was for the Columbus Blue Jackets: Blue Jackets winger Mathieu Olivier had surgery Tuesday to repair a stretched tendon above a knuckle on his oft-used right hand, a procedure that will prevent him from taking part in some offseason workouts for up to two months but will allow him to be healed for training camp in the fall. Advertisement That alone is significant news, as Olivier became an important part of the Blue Jackets lineup in 2024-25. But there are two other morsels — fallout from the surgery, you might say — that land somewhere between inspirational and incredible. Olivier was saddened when he learned last month he needed to have surgery, because just days earlier he'd been invited by Team USA to play in the IIHF World Championship beginning later this week in Stockholm, Sweden, and Herning, Denmark. Of all the compliments paid this season to Olivier, who scored a career-high 18 goals and was second in the NHL with 139 penalty minutes, there's nothing quite like an invitation to an international tournament by one of the world's leading hockey countries to confirm his status as an all-around player, not just a fighter. It was inspiring for Olivier, who doesn't want to be marginalized as a fighter. Fighting is exceedingly rare in IIHF events, meaning Olivier was wanted for what he could offer as a hockey player. It mirrors what the Blue Jackets learned this season, when coach Dean Evason played him as high as the second line. 'I wasn't going to drop the mitts if I'm going to Europe with Team USA,' Olivier told The Athletic. 'To get recognized for a good year is huge, because it means they like what you're doing on the ice. 'I've talked to you a lot about constantly getting better and evolving and adding to my game, and (the invite) is a nice little tidbit for me to be able to prove that at 28 years old, I'm still getting better.' Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell, an advisor to Team USA, said Olivier had accepted the offer and was excited to fly out with Team USA this past week. But he wanted to make sure his injured right hand was checked before departing. It wasn't an issue of being able to play through the hand injury, he said. He wanted to know if a procedure would be required at some point this summer, and if delaying it by playing in the Worlds would affect his preparedness for the start of next season. Advertisement If he'd waited until after the Worlds — the tournament ends May 25 — it would have cost him a month of training. Olivier, who was born in Mississippi while his father, Simon, played in the ECHL, has dual citizenship with Canada and the United States, so he'd be eligible to play for both. But he never even considered picking a side, he said, because being asked to play internationally wasn't ever a consideration. 'For him to think he was never going to be invited by one of the national teams … that's really something,' Waddell said. 'And he deserved it. He was so looking forward to it. But then the scan came back.' Which brings us to the incredible part of this story. Olivier said he suffered the hand injury on Feb. 4 when one of his punches on Buffalo Sabres defenseman Dennis Gilbert caught a piece of Gilbert's helmet instead of his head. That means Olivier, who led the NHL with 15 fighting majors, had four fights with an injured right hand, including a spirited duel with Florida Panthers forward Jonah Gadjovich on March 6. (Try not to wince every time his right hand hits Gadjovich's helmet.) 'We didn't think it was that bad, honestly, and then we got some testing done and it was clear we needed to get some things fixed in there,' Olivier said. 'You hit a little bit of helmet and, weirdly enough, that's worse than going through a person. 'Me being me, and being a hockey player, I just kept doing what I was doing. I played with it and fought with it, and it kinda made it worse. I thought it was something I could play through, and the medical staff all felt the same. But we wanted to take a look at it (after the season), and it's a good thing we did.' Olivier said he sees a silver lining. On Sunday, Olivier, his wife and two kids were set to make the 12 1/2 hour drive from Columbus to Quebec City. He'll be back in the gym later this week, he said, rekindling an offseason ritual with fellow NHLers Yanni Gourde (Tampa Bay), Jonathan Marchessault (Nashville), Zachary Bolduc (St. Louis) and Jakob Pelletier (Philadelphia), among others. Advertisement 'The (surgically repaired) hand is not going to be a big issue,' Olivier said. 'We have a plan in place. I'll be able to get a full summer of workouts, and it's not a bad thing to focus on my legs, my core and my cardio. I'll give my upper body a break after a long and grinding season. I'm seeing the positive in it.' Olivier will have plenty of wind at his back this offseason. He's coming off the best season of his career. He plays on a Blue Jackets team that delivered above expectations this season and appears to have a bright future. And, while an invite to the Worlds isn't exactly an Olympic invite, it's still a massive compliment. 'I didn't think it was something that was possible for me,' Olivier said. 'I was really upset when we found out I couldn't go. It was the right decision for me and the Blue Jackets and my career, and those things are No. 1. But it would have been nice to go and represent the U.S. there.' Would he like the opportunity in the future? Well, yes and no. 'Hopefully we'll be worrying about the playoffs (in Columbus) and not the Worlds,' Olivier said. 'But if it comes to the Worlds, it's nice to know you get a shot.' Waddell spent part of last week in Texas, scouting the IIHF World Under-18 Championship, where several of this year's top draft choices were on display. The Blue Jackets will hold scouting meetings later in May, just over a month before the draft. Otherwise, a big part of Waddell's attention in the short term will be interviewing and hiring new support staff members after he let four longtime employees go a couple of days after the season. Equipment manager Jamie Healy, video coach Dan Singleton, strength and conditioning coach Kevin Collins and assistant trainer Naoto 'Nates' Goto were all in the final years of their contract. Healy and Singleton were original employees when Columbus joined the NHL as an expansion franchise. Advertisement 'We felt we wanted to go in a different direction,' Waddell told The Athletic. 'They're all good people, but we felt it was time for a change.' Waddell said he didn't anticipate any further changes with support staff, but he noted that other staffers with expiring contracts will need to sign new deals. With Collins no longer overseeing players' fitness routines, assistant strength and conditioning coach Ryan Gadbois is filling in for the interim. Asked if the Blue Jackets would fill the support staff openings from within, Waddell said: 'I'm going to talk to people, but my thinking is probably not. I think everybody's in a good spot right now. 'Never say never, because never doesn't end. I'll keep an open mind about it, but that's what I'm thinking as of now.' Many wondered if there would be changes to the Blue Jackets coaching staff, with assistants Jared Boll and Steve McCarthy and goaltending coach Niklas Backstrom in the final years of their deals. Waddell signed all three to extensions after watching them work together this season. 'I'm down there every day and I like the way they work,' Waddell said. 'They all have responsibilities, and they all share in responsibilities. The one thing Dean does is really give his assistants a lot of power, even between periods and after games.' As predicted in this space last week, two Blue Jackets players were announced this week as finalists for NHL awards: Zach Werenski for the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman, and Sean Monahan for the Masterton Trophy, which honors perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Werenski, who set multiple career and franchise records and finished second among NHL defensemen in scoring, was named as a finalist, along with Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche and Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks. He's the first Blue Jackets player to be a finalist for the Norris. Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar and Zach Werenski are the finalists for the Norris Trophy! 🏆 #NHLAwards The James Norris Memorial Trophy is awarded annually "to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position." — NHL (@NHL) April 29, 2025 Monahan played above a point-a-game pace and showed incredible poise and grace after the death of his best friend, Johnny Gaudreau, before the season. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury of the Minnesota Wild and Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche are the other finalists. It's the fourth time a Blue Jackets player has been a finalist for the Masterton. Advertisement Both awards are voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, and all voting is completed before the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Waddell doesn't have a ballot for either award — NHL GMs vote on the Vezina Trophy for the league's top goaltender — but said the following of the Blue Jackets' two candidates: On Werenski: 'Particularly the first three months of the season, I don't know where we would have been without him. He was good all year, don't get me wrong, but those first three months, he was exceptional. Right from training camp, you could see, he took this team on his back and he was going to make it happen. The second half, he continued on, maybe not so much point-wise as the first half, but he was certainly one of the big leaders all year, on both ends of the ice.' On Monahan: 'What a unique situation and a tough situation to come into after going through free agency, picking Columbus and then losing Johnny. How he handled himself … this is an amazing person. Every game he came to play, and every practice he came to practice. He was a true professional, one of our leaders in a difficult time. When he went out (28 games with a wrist injury), we really missed him. I just can't say enough good things about this guy.' Presenting the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy finalists. 📣 #NHLAwards The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is presented annually to the "player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey." — NHL (@NHL) May 2, 2025 The Blue Jackets had hoped Evason, who guided the Blue Jackets within one win of their first playoff berth in five seasons, might be a finalist for the Jack Adams Trophy, as voted on by the NHL Broadcasters' Association. But Scott Arniel of the Winnipeg Jets, Spencer Carbery of the Washington Capitals and Martin St. Louis of the Montreal Canadiens were the top three vote-getters. Arniel was the Blue Jackets head coach in 2010-11 and 2011-12, while St. Louis was a team consultant under coach John Tortorella in 2018-19. • Evason, who is currently in Europe with Team Canada ahead of the Worlds, was asked by The Athletic before he left Columbus why it took so long for the Blue Jackets to give goaltender Jet Greaves the starting job as the club stumbled through most of the stretch drive. Greaves was in net for the five straight wins at the end of the season, stopping 156 of 160 shots (a .975 save percentage). • Here's Evason: 'Obviously, hindsight is awesome. Did we know (Greaves would play like that)? Obviously, if we did, he would have been with us sooner. Did we talk about it? Yes, of course. Did we evaluate what was best for the organization and best for Jet? Yeah. Don't forget, Elvis (Merlikins) played extremely well, and I know, probably, the numbers are going to come back (not so great), but he held us in games. He won games for us. It's easy now to look back and say maybe he should have been here earlier, but there were a lot of factors and circumstances that played into it. Was it great to see Jet play like that at the end? Do we believe he can continue to do that? The answer to both is yes. Yes, we do.' Advertisement • AHL Cleveland has dug itself quite a hole in its second-round series vs. Laval. The Monsters trail the best-of-five series 2-0 after losing the first two games last week in Cleveland: 3-2 on Wednesday and 4-0 on Friday. Today's 3 p.m. puck drop is an elimination game. Laval, under previous Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent, was the AHL's best regular-season team, earning a first-round bye and an 11-day break before the second round. • It's possible, maybe even likely, that Cleveland's final game, whenever that occurs, could be Trey Fix-Wolansky's final game with the Columbus organization, too. Fix-Wolansky, a seventh-round pick (No. 204) in 2018, has played only 26 NHL games (none this season) in six pro seasons, which is why he's an unrestricted free agent this summer instead of a restricted free agent. While he's had only cups of coffee in Columbus, he's a Cleveland hockey legend, owning the franchise records for goals (112), assists (147) and points (259) and ranking third in games played (289) and ninth in penalty minutes (254). • Blue Jackets defensive prospect Luca Marrelli, the club's third-round pick (No. 86) last June, has had an incredible Ontario Hockey League playoffs for the Oshawa Generals. Marrelli, with 6-25-31 in only 16 playoff games, is nearing a 32-year-old OHL record held by Hall of Famer Chris Pronger. In 1993, Pronger had 40 points (15-25-40) for the Peterborough Petes. Marrelli's run includes 2-9-11 (plus-7) in his last three games, helping Oshawa reach the OHL finals. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Marrelli plays on the right side (right shot), which could make him a very important player for the Blue Jackets in the next few seasons. The 19-year-old defenseman is eligible to join the Cleveland Monsters for the playoffs, if they're still alive. Next up for Oshawa is an OHL final rematch with the London Knights, who pounded Oshawa in a finals sweep last season and have yet to lose a game (three series sweeps) so far in these playoffs. Game 1 is Thursday in London. • Defenseman Sascha Boumedienne, who played for the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets from 2021-2023, is expected to be a first-round draft pick in this summer's draft. His play as a freshman at Boston University this season and, most recently, at the World U18s, will only help his draft status. Boumedienne, 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, set a tournament record for points by a defenseman with 1-13-14 in seven games for Sweden, which took silver. Boumedienne lived in Columbus while his father, Josef, worked for the Blue Jackets as a scout, an executive and an assistant coach. The Blue Jackets hold the No. 13 and 20 picks in this year's draft. Wouldn't that be something? (Photo of Mathieu Olivier: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Columbus Blue Jackets continue push: 3 takeaways after win over Ottawa Senators
The Blue Jackets' resilience is a big reason they've got five games left and haven't been eliminated from the playoff hunt in the NHL's Eastern Conference. Their odds of avoiding that fate are incredibly slim, but they're set on pushing hard until they're officially eliminated or run out of games, no matter which comes first. Advertisement That was evident in a 5-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena, where a crowd of 15,188 watched the Jackets' display more grit after losing three straight games. Facing a team that had already beaten them twice in Ottawa in the previous nine days, including a 4-0 loss Sunday at Canadian Tire Centre, the Blue Jackets never trailed. 'We know the situation we're in,' center Adam Fantilli said. 'We see the standings. We've still got to give ourselves the best chance to get in. We put ourselves in a tough position, but our goal is to win out the rest of the season, obviously, and put ourselves in the best position possible to get into the playoffs. That's still our goal.' Here are three takeaways: Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli (19) fights for the puck with Ottawa Senators defenseman Nick Jensen (3) during the third period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on April 8, 2025. The Blue Jackets won 5-2. Columbus Blue Jackets still need a miracle to qualify for the playoffs Defeating Ottawa pulled the Blue Jackets even with the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings at 79 points each. All three have five games left and now they're chasing just one final playoff spot controlled by the Montreal Canadiens — who are close to clinching the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Advertisement Montreal's victory over the Red Wings on Tuesday gave the East's first wild card to Ottawa, so it's now a four-team race for the second wild card with the Canadiens just one more win in regulation away from clinching it. The Blue Jackets likely need to win all five of their remaining games and hope the Canadiens, Rangers and Red Wings all stumble badly in their remaining games. The Jackets would cap out at 89 points in that scenario and would also need Montreal to finish with 89 points without adding another win in regulation — the NHL's primary standings tiebreaker. That's not impossible, of course, but it remains highly improbable. Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Mathieu Olivier (24) hits Ottawa Senators center Shane Pinto (12) during the second period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on April 8, 2025. Mathieu Olivier is more than a heavy fist for the Columbus Blue Jackets Mathieu Olivier missed 28 of last season's first 53 games before playing the last 29 in a row. Only one of those 28 absences was due to injury, which means he was a healthy scratch for the other 27. Advertisement Olivier finished with 10 points on five goals and five assists, adding half of those points (four goals, one assist) in his finishing stretch of games while playing right wing on the fourth line. This season, Olivier has thrived offensively under new coach Dean Evason and new assistant Scott Ford — an assistant with the Milwaukee Admirals who'd coached the power forward at that level. Olivier displayed a little bit of everything he's capable of providing in the victory over the Senators. He set up the game's first goal with a great feed from behind the net to Dmitri Voronkov in the slot. His 18th goal was scored by putting himself into a great spot near the net before Erik Gudbranson fired a shot that Justin Danforth tipped for a redirection that bounced into the net off Olivier's left skate. Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Mathieu Olivier (24) scores a goal past Ottawa Senators goaltender Anton Forsberg (31) and defenseman Tyler Kleven (43) during the second period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on April 8, 2025. Olivier, the league's unofficial heavyweight champion, also threw his weight around while throwing Senators players around in scrums. If he can replicate this type of production throughout the six-year, $18 million contract extension he signed March 5, that deal will be quite a bargain for the Blue Jackets. Advertisement 'He's a very unique player,' coach Dean Evason said. '(That's) clearly why we signed him to a contract. He's a rare breed, for sure. Do we love that he can beat the snot out of people and be physical and still score goals and score assists and block shots and kill penalties? Yeah, that's good.' Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Justin Danforth (17) scores a goal during the first period of the NHL hockey game against the Ottawa Senators at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on April 8, 2025. Depth scoring sparks Columbus Blue Jackets against Ottawa Senators The Blue Jackets' first two goals were scored by their third and fourth forward lines, but neither could be described as 'greasy' or 'dirty' unless using the latter term in conjunction with the world 'dangle' following it. Voronkov's goal was scored seven minutes into the first period with a one-timer off Olivier's feed to end the Jackets' scoring drought at 159:04 and his personal drought at 16 games. Justin Danforth made it 2-0 with 3:22 left in the first on the type of goal he used to score quite a bit in stops along his NHL path. Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Justin Danforth (17) celebrates scoring a goal with fan Scott Collins of Lewis Center during the first period of the NHL hockey game against the Ottawa Senators at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on April 8, 2025. Getting the puck on the right wing in the neutral zone off a long clearing flip by rookie Denton Mateychuk, Danforth skated it into a 2-on-2 rush, dangled the puck to avoid a stick check in the slot and fired a wrist shot over goalie Anton Forsberg's glove for his ninth goal. Advertisement After watching the puck zip under the crossbar, Danforth turned around with his arms wide and skated to the left wing for a "fist bump" with Scott Collins of Lewis Center, a Blue Jackets fan who recorded it with his phone. 'I've scored some goals in my years,' Danforth said. 'It was nice to score a goal that wasn't in the paint tonight (the crease), so it felt good. Great play by (Mateychuk) and (Zach Aston-Reese) driving the net, opening it up for me. It was a great team goal.' Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@ and @ Get more on the Columbus Blue Jackets with our Cannon Fodder podcast This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 3 takeaways from Columbus Blue Jackets' win over Ottawa Senators
Globe and Mail
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Globe and Mail
Olivier and Danforth lead Blue Jackets to 5-2 win over Senators to snap three-game skid
Columbus Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins knocks the puck away from Ottawa Senators' Matthew Highmore during the first period. The Blue Jackets won 5-2 on April 8, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. Jay LaPrete/The Canadian Press Mathieu Olivier and Justin Danforth each had a goal and an assist, and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Ottawa Senators 5-2 on Tuesday night. Dmitri Voronkov, Sean Monahan and Adam Fantilli also scored for Columbus, and Kent Johnson had two assists. Elvis Merzlikins stopped 33 shots to help the Blue Jackets snap a three-game skid and get their second win in six games. Thomas Chabot had a goal and an assist, and Fabian Zetterlund also scored for Ottawa, which clinched its first playoff berth since 2017 when Montreal beat Detroit. Anton Forsberg had 30 saves for the Senators, who had won three straight. Zetterlund pulled the Senators to 2-1 with a power-play goal with 3:42 left in the second period. However, Olivier restored Columbus' two-goal lead with 22 seconds remaining in the middle period as Danforth's pass in front deflected off his left skate and past Forsberg. Monahan pushed the lead to 4-1 at 2:37 of the third with a power-play goal. The Blue Jackets came in 3 for 36 with the man-advantage over their previous 12 games and went x for x against the Senators. Fantilli and Chabot traded goals 3 1/2 minutes apart down the stretch. Voronkov got the Blue Jackets on the scoreboard 7 minutes into the game as Mathieu Olivier's pass toward the middle from the right side behind the goal-line deflected to him in the slot. It was Columbus' first goal in three games. Danforth made it 2-0 with 3:22 left in the first as he brought the puck across the blue line, skated toward the middle, and beat Forsberg from between the circles. Senators: Ottawa leads Montreal by three points for the first wild card in the Eastern Conference and fell four points behind Florida for third place in the Atlantic Division. Blue Jackets: Columbus defenceman Erik Gudbranson played in his 800th game Ottawa's Drake Batherson skated toward the middle in front of Merzlikins and fired a shot the goalie snared with a Columbus player in front of him to keep the Senators off the scoreboard 5:00 into the second period. Voronkov's goal ended Columbus' scoreless streak at 159:04. The Blue Jackets were blanked 5-0 at Toronto on Saturday, and 4-0 at Ottawa on Sunday. Senators host Montreal on Friday to open a season-ending four-game homestand, and Blue Jackets host Buffalo on Thursday.
Reuters
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Blue Jackets finally score, get win against Sens
April 9 - 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.
Fox Sports
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Olivier and Danforth lead Blue Jackets to 5-2 win over Senators to snap 3-game skid
Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Mathieu Olivier and Justin Danforth each had a goal and an assist, and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Ottawa Senators 5-2 on Tuesday night. Dmitri Voronkov, Sean Monahan and Adam Fantilli also scored for Columbus, and Kent Johnson had two assists. Elvis Merzlikins stopped 33 shots to help the Blue Jackets snap a three-game skid and get their second win in six games. Thomas Chabot had a goal and an assist, and Fabian Zetterlund also scored for Ottawa, which clinched its first playoff berth since 2017 when Montreal beat Detroit. Anton Forsberg had 30 saves for the Senators, who had won three straight. Zetterlund pulled the Senators to 2-1 with a power-play goal with 3:42 left in the second period. However, Olivier restored Columbus' two-goal lead with 22 seconds remaining in the middle period as Danforth's pass in front deflected off his left skate and past Forsberg. Monahan pushed the lead to 4-1 at 2:37 of the third with a power-play goal. The Blue Jackets came in 3 for 36 with the man-advantage over their previous 12 games and went x for x against the Senators. Fantilli and Chabot traded goals 3 1/2 minutes apart down the stretch. Voronkov got the Blue Jackets on the scoreboard 7 minutes into the game as Mathieu Olivier's pass toward the middle from the right side behind the goal line deflected to him in the slot. It was Columbus' first goal in three games. Danforth made it 2-0 with 3:22 left in the first as he brought the puck across the blue line, skated toward the middle, and beat Forsberg from between the circles. Takeaways Senators: Ottawa leads Montreal by three points for the first wild card in the Eastern Conference and fell four points behind Forida for third place in the Atlantic Division. Blue Jackets: Columbus defenseman Erik Gudbranson played in his 800th game Key moment Ottawa's Drake Batherson skated toward the middle in front of Merzlikins and fired a shot the goalie snared with a Columbus player in front of him to keep the Senators off the scoreboard 5:00 into the second period. Key stat Voronkov's goal ended Columbus' scoreless streak at 159:04. The Blue Jackets were blanked 5-0 at Toronto on Saturday, and 4-0 at Ottawa on Sunday. Up next Senators host Montreal on Friday to open a season-ending four-game homestand, and Blue Jackets host Buffalo on Thursday. ___ AP NHL: recommended
