The Columbus Blue Jackets earned their third straight victory, powered once again by Jet Greaves, who delivered strong back-to-back performances in goal. Greaves stopped 27 of 28 shots in his second consecutive start, continuing his impressive run between the pipes. Charlie Coyle and Cole Sillinger each recorded two points, while Mason Marchment continued to make an impact with one assist, extending his point streak to four games since joining Columbus. The Blue Jackets have now gone 3-1-0 during that stretch. Zach Werenski remained sidelined for a third straight game due to injury.
Game Summary
1st Period — Columbus 1, Ottawa 0
The opening 15 minutes were fairly even in terms of scoring chances, but a costly turnover proved to be the difference. David Perron lost the puck in his own zone, allowing Charlie Coyle to jump on the loose puck in the corner. Coyle quickly moved it to Cole Sillinger, whose shot toward the net was tipped by captain Boone Jenner, beating Leevi Merilainen to give Columbus a 1-0 lead at 15:58.
The goal marked Jenner’s sixth of the season and stood as the only goal of the period. It was also the 21st time this season the Blue Jackets scored first, improving their record in those games to 13-4-4.
Columbus had two power-play opportunities in the period but was unable to capitalize. The Blue Jackets finished the first period with a 12-7 edge in shots on goal.
2nd Period — Columbus 2, Ottawa 1
Columbus extended its lead early in the second period by taking advantage of poor gap control in the neutral zone. The Blue Jackets forced a turnover and quickly turned it into a 4-on-2 rush, where Damon Severson finished the play with a slap shot that beat Leevi Merilainen, who was unable to seal the angle. The goal, Severson’s third of the season, came off a strong puck exchange involving Cole Sillinger and Dmitri Voronkov, giving Columbus a 2-0 lead.
Ottawa responded midway through the period to cut the deficit in half. Following a collision in the neutral zone between Miles Wood and Cole Sillinger, the loose puck found Brady Tkachuk, who carried it into the offensive zone before moving it to Tim Stützle. Stützle then delivered a perfect back-door pass to Jake Sanderson, who jumped into the rush and beat Jet Greaves with a wrist shot on the glove side for his eighth goal of the season.
The Senators pushed back with three power-play opportunities in the period but were unable to convert. Columbus continued its strong penalty killing, allowing just one power-play goal over its last 19 kills. Ottawa outshot Columbus 10-3 in the period, but the Blue Jackets carried a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes.
3rd Period — Columbus Closes It Out
Columbus continued its strong trend when leading after two periods. Entering the night, the Blue Jackets were 10-0-4 when holding a lead after 40 minutes, and they showed no signs of slowing down.
For the second time in the game, Columbus struck early in the period. At 1:57, Denton Mateychuk fired a snap shot from the point that beat Leevi Merilainen, who was screened by Boone Jenner in front. The goal ended Mateychuk’s 11-game goal drought and marked his seventh goal of the season. Damon Severson and Charlie Coyle each picked up their second point of the night on the play.
The Blue Jackets put the game away late when Kirill Marchenko scored at 15:54, netting his 14th goal of the season and his third goal in the last two games, leaving Ottawa with no chance to mount a comeback.
Ottawa struggled to generate sustained pressure in the final period, and when opportunities did arise, Jet Greaves was sharp, turning aside key chances to preserve the lead. The loss marked Ottawa’s third straight defeat.
Inside the Locker Room
Jet Greaves (Goaltender)
“All six defensemen and all 12 forwards did a great job tonight,” Greaves said. “Everyone bought in. There was a lot of consistency in how we played, just playing the way we want to for a full 60 minutes, and you get a positive result from that.”
Boone Jenner (Captain)
“Gutsy, gutsy win,” Jenner said. “We played for each other, gave everything we had, and got the result. I loved the way we battled. Jet kept us in it and made some huge saves when he needed to. We just kept coming and were able to get some goals.”
Damon Severson (Defenseman)
“A couple of big wins back-to-back for us coming out of the Christmas break,” Severson said. “Now we’ve got one more to finish off 2025. Hopefully we can end it on a high and get back to where we want to be moving forward.”
The Blue Jackets faced additional adversity before puck drop, as the NHL delayed the start time by 30 minutes due to travel issues. Columbus’ flight on Sunday was canceled because of mechanical problems, and poor weather on Monday delayed the team’s arrival in Ottawa until approximately 3:50 p.m. ET.
“It was definitely a different day,” Jenner added. “We’re used to waking up in the city, getting our nap, having our pregame meal — all of that was out the window. It was a crazy day, to say the least. When we got here, we just wanted to play for each other.”
Dean Evason (Head Coach)
“Our guys don’t care,” Evason said. “They just play hockey. Maybe we didn’t get the results earlier in the year, but for the most part we’ve played the same way. They don’t worry about distractions outside the dressing room or in the arena, and that gives us a chance to win hockey games.”
Game Stats
| Category | Blue Jackets | Senators |
| Final Score | 4 | 1 |
| Shots on Goal | 22 | 28 |
| Faceoff Percentage | 52.6% | 47.4% |
| Power Play | 0/3 | 0/4 |
| Penalty Kill | 4/4 | 3/3 |
| Penalty Minutes | 13 | 11 |
| Hits | 23 | 18 |
| Blocked Shots | 16 | 10 |
| Giveaways | 20 | 14 |
| Takeaways | 5 | 3 |
| Goaltender | Jet Greaves | Leevi Merilainen |
| Saves | 27 | 18 |
| Save Percentage | 0.964 | 0.818 |
Three Stars of the Game
1. J. Greaves
#73 • CBJ • Goalie
27 saves on 28 shots .964
2. D. Severson
#78 • CBJ • Defenseman
G: 1 | A: 1 | P: 2
3. J. Sanderson
#85 • OTT • Defenseman
G: 1 | A: 0 | P: 1
My Takeaway
The Blue Jackets earned their third straight win by doing the basics right. Jet Greaves was solid again, stopping 27 of 28 shots in his second straight start, giving Columbus steady goaltending on back-to-back nights. Offensively, the Jackets got balanced production, with Charlie Coyle and Cole Sillinger each finishing with two points, while Damon Severson added one goal and one assist from the blue line. Kirill Marchenko continued his recent surge, scoring again to close the game.
Columbus capitalized on Ottawa mistakes, scored early in periods, and protected the lead late. The penalty kill went 4-for-4, Ottawa was held without a power-play goal, and the Blue Jackets improved to 11-0-4 when leading after 40 minutes. This was a structured, disciplined road win, backed by goaltending and secondary scoring.
Next Game
The Columbus Blue Jackets return home on Tuesday, Dec. 31, to face the New Jersey Devils at 7:00 p.m. EDT.
This will be the third meeting of the four-game season series, which is currently tied 1-1-0.
In the most recent matchup on Dec. 1 in New Jersey, Columbus earned a 5-3 win, with Charlie Coyle recording three points and Sean Monahan scoring two goals.
