The pilot light is out again.
A Blue Jackets team that’s close to setting a franchise record for goals in a season has gone stone cold for the second time in a span of about three weeks, all but sinking their hopes of earning a playoff spot in the NHL’s Eastern Conference.
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After a 5-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday at Scotiabank Arena, the Jackets followed up with a 4-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Sunday at Canadian Tire Centre.
That means the Jackets’ last goal came when captain Boone Jenner put them up 3-2 at 7:56 of the second period in a 7-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday at Nationwide Arena.
The ongoing drought has lasted 152:04, topping a 129:31 span without a goal March 11-15 in losses to the New Jersey Devils, Vegas Golden Knights and New York Rangers — the last two in consecutive shutouts.
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“(Ottawa) started really well,” Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said. “We did not. Did we get to our game? Did we have some (scoring) chances, even early? Yeah, but just, clearly, we’re not scoring goals. So, it just gets magnified when we (trail), because you’re pressing even harder. And when you’re not having success and you’re not scoring goals, and you’re pressing … it’s not a good recipe.”
Here are three takeaways from the loss to Ottawa:
Apr 6, 2025; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Mathieu Olivier (24) chases Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson (85) as he shoots the puck in the second period at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
The Blue Jackets have stagnated again with three straight losses in regulation and the past two without scoring a goal. They’re stuck on 77 points after 76 games and now sit 12th in the conference standings.
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That’s not the worst of it.
While they’re only two points behind the New York Rangers for ninth and Detroit Red Wings for 10th, the Blue Jackets now trail the Montreal Canadiens by eight points for the second wild-card, which goes to the eighth-place team.
The Jackets have only six games left, so they’re down to 12 possible points if they can finish without a loss. That would get them to 89 points, but Montreal and Ottawa are red hot right now, so that probably wouldn’t be enough. The Jackets must reignite their offense, win six straight, hope the Canadiens go ice cold and the Rangers and Red Wings keep floundering.
“We are a team,” Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins said. “I’m not going to win games alone. I can’t score. I need my boys, and I know and believe that we will score, we will fight to the end, and when we get to the end, we’re just going to look at the standings and see … are we in or are we out?”
Apr 6, 2025; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators goalie Linus Ullmarlk (35) makes a save on a shot from Columbus Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner (38) in the third period at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
The Blue Jackets have now been shut out nine times, including six since edging past the Red Wings on March 1 at Ohio Stadium. They’ve also set a new franchise record for games with six-plus goals to their credit, doing that 14 times. No matter what happens to close out this season, consistency is one of the areas they need to shore up starting next season.
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“It’s tough to explain, the way some games went,” Blue Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov said. “We score seven, and then we go through stretches where we can’t put one in the net.”
Apr 6, 2025; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators defenseman Nikolas Martinpalo (33) scores against Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Daniil Tarasov (40) in the first period at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
Columbus Blue Jackets go to the bullpen early against Ottawa Senators
The Blue Jackets almost made it a full season without a single in-game goalie switch. Evason even explained recently that he prefers to let goalies work out of slumps or through tough starts, but these are desperate times. The Jackets started the game in a fog against the Senators and goalie Daniil Tarasov paid the price by allowing two goals on six shots in the first 4:26 of the game.
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Evason pulled Tarasov after Nicholas Matinpalo’s first NHL goal put the Senators up 2-0, hoping to spark something positive. Merzlikins did his part by allowing just one goal on 23 shots after replacing Tarasov, but the offense couldn’t crack Linus Ullmark in Ottawa’s net.
Pulling Tarasov was Evason’s second goalie change in the past three games, following the removal of Merzlikins from the loss Thursday to the Avalanche.
“We certainly don’t want to do that,” Evason said. “Both those goals (against) were ‘team’ goals. It’s just … we made a decision to try something. Obviously, it didn’t work.”
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets takeaways after Ottawa Senators’ shutout