Surging Senators zip past Blue Jackets, inch closer to playoff berth

OTTAWA - Linus Ullmark made 30 saves for the shutout and two first-period goals stood up for the Ottawa Senators as they won for the third straight game, defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-0 Sunday.

Adam Gaudette and Nikolas Matinpalo scored early in the first period for the Senators (42-29-6) and inched ever closer to securing their first playoff appearance since 2017. One more win in their final five games will clinch a post-season berth.

David Perron and Shane Pinto, into an empty net, also scored while Thomas Chabot had two assists.

The Blue Jackets (34-33-9) are seeing their season slip away suffering their third straight loss. They were six points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild-card spot in the East entering play on Sunday.

Gaudette opened the scoring at 2:24 of the first period and Matinpalo collected his first career NHL goal at 4:26. That goal chased Daniil Tarasov from the Columbus net after just six shots on goal. Elvis Merzlikins took over in goal and stopped 22 of 23 shots he faced.

Perron put the Senators ahead 3-0 at 4:32 of the third period.

The Senators were 0-for-3 on the power play while the Blue Jackets went without a power play opportunity.

TAKEAWAYS

Senators: Played a solid defensive game despite allowing lots of shots at 30. What they didn’t allow were a lot of goals though, as they have allowed just one during their current three-game streak. More impressive is the 153-minute shutout streak they are currently on.

Blue Jackets: After a 5-0 loss Saturday in Toronto and getting into Ottawa late, the Blue Jackets looked lethargic in the opening part of the game and were down early. Through the final 30 minutes of the game they showed plenty more drive.

KEY MOMENT

Already leading 2-0, Perron’s goal early in the third period gave the Senators a much more comfortable cushion. It also came after the Blue Jackets came out hard in the period and had several good looks to tie the game, including one shot that rang off the crossbar.

KEY STAT

The Ottawa Senators registered the first eight shots on goal Sunday. In fact, the Columbus Blue Jackets didn’t get their first shot until just shy of the eight-minute mark. The fast start allowed the Senators to come out of the first period with a 14-9 shot advantage and 2-0 lead.

UP NEXT

Blue Jackets: Host the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.

Senators: Visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 6, 2025.