The Columbus Blue Jackets returned home hoping to stop a three-game losing streak after a tough road trip, but a slow start proved costly. Ottawa took immediate advantage, scoring three goals on its first five shots against Elvis Merzlikins and jumping out to an early lead. Columbus tried to push back as the game went on, but the early damage was done, and the Blue Jackets were never able to fully climb back into the game.
Game Summary: Blue Jackets didn’t start on time
The Columbus Blue Jackets returned home looking to snap a three-game losing streak, but a rough opening period put them behind early as the Ottawa Senators took control of the game.
Ottawa struck first at 6:58 of the opening period when David Perron capitalized on a loose rebound in the crease. Just over a minute later, Drake Batherson doubled the lead with a wrist shot from the right circle, and the Senators kept pressing. Tim Stützle made it 3–0 at 14:55 on the power play, marking three goals on Ottawa’s first five shots and forcing a goalie change as Jet Greaves entered the game.
Columbus answered late in the first period. Boone Jenner redirected a shot at 18:04 to get the Blue Jackets on the board, but Ottawa responded again before the intermission. Michael Amadio restored the three-goal lead at 19:26, sending the Senators into the first break up 4–1.
“I thought when Jet came in, he played really well,” defenseman Dante Fabbro said. “Circumstances happen and mistakes happen. So, it’s on all of us. We’re a team in here and we’ve got to be better in front of our goalies.”
The Blue Jackets pushed back in the second period and showed their best stretch of the game. Fabbro scored from the point at 3:02 with traffic in front, and Dmitri Voronkov cut the deficit to one at 8:10 with a power-play goal. Columbus carried momentum through the middle of the period and had the building back into it.
“You think maybe there’s a momentum shift that you can bring about for the guys,” head coach Dean Evason said of the goalie change. “And then maybe there’s some that you don’t think should go in the net, but I think it was a little bit of both here tonight.”
Late goals again proved costly. Stützle struck for his second of the night at 17:59, poking in his own rebound to give Ottawa a 5–3 lead heading into the third period.
“I thought the second period we were climbing back,” said captain Boone Jenner. “We had some momentum going, a couple quick goals. So, it’s just that late goal. I mean, late goal in the first period and a late goal in the second. That hurts us. We weren’t able to come back after that.”
Ottawa managed the third period efficiently, limiting Columbus’ chances. Claude Giroux sealed the game with an empty-net goal at 18:37, closing out a 6–3 Senators win at Nationwide Arena.
For Columbus, the early damage was too much to overcome. Sean Monahan and Dmitri Voronkov each finished the night at minus-4, reflecting the difficult defensive night for the Blue Jackets despite the second-period push.
Notes
- The Blue Jackets saw their eight-game home point streak end (5-0-3).
- Zach Werenski played his 598th career game, passing David Savard for the most games played by a defenseman in franchise history.
- Drake Batherson and Dylan Cozens each recorded three points in the first period, becoming the third set of Senators teammates to accomplish that feat in the opening frame.
- Cozens tied a career high with three assists.
- Michael Amadio finished the game with three points.
- Claude Giroux surpassed Marian Hossa for 62nd all-time in NHL scoring with his 1,135th career point, coming on the empty-net goal.
Game Stats
| Stat | Ottawa | Columbus |
| Shots on Goal | 29 | 26 |
| Faceoff % | 57.8% | 42.2% |
| Power Play | 1 / 2 | 1 / 1 |
| Penalty Minutes | 2 | 4 |
| Hits | 18 | 23 |
| Blocked Shots | 21 | 11 |
| Giveaways | 16 | 14 |
| Takeaways | 6 | 4 |
Blue Jackets Players Highlights
Boone Jenner 1G 1A 2PTS +2 2SOG 4HITS
Dmitri Voronkov 1G 1PTS 3SOG
Dante Fabbro 1G 2SOG
Zach Werenski 2A 2PTS 2SOG 2BLK
Three Stars of the Game
⭐ 1st Star
Tim Stützle (OTT) — 2 G, 0 A, 2 P
⭐ 2nd Star
Drake Batherson (OTT) — 1 G, 2 A, 3 P
⭐3rd Star
Boone Jenner (CBJ) — 1 G, 1 A, 2 P
My Final Thoughts
The Blue Jackets are in a difficult stretch right now, and the numbers back it up. Columbus has just two wins in its last 10 games (2-4-4) and sits at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division during that span. The struggles aren’t coming from one area only — they’re showing up at both ends of the ice.
Defensively, the team has given up 36 goals in the last 10 games, an average of 3.60 goals against per game, which makes it hard to stay in games consistently. Too many breakdowns, especially early and late in periods, have forced Columbus to chase games instead of controlling them.
Offensively, production hasn’t been enough to compensate. The Blue Jackets have scored only 26 goals over that same stretch, and when you combine that with the defensive issues, the margin for error disappears quickly.
There is effort, and there are moments where the structure looks better, but results matter. Until Columbus tightens up defensively and finds more consistency in scoring, this trend will be difficult to reverse. Right now, the Blue Jackets are fighting the game instead of dictating it — and the standings reflect that.
Next Game
The Columbus Blue Jackets return to the ice Saturday, Dec. 13, staying at home to face the Vegas Golden Knights at 7:00 PM EDT.
