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Columbus Blue Jackets searching for answers after shutout in Ottawa<\/p>\n
The Blue Jackets haven’t scored in two games, lost their third straight game Sunday in Ottawa and need to find answers quickly.<\/p>\n
KANATA, Ontario \u2014 Less than 24 hours after a frustrating meltdown in the third period in Toronto turned a close game into a 5-0 loss, the Blue Jackets\u2019 pain continued\u00a0Sunday at Canadian Tire Centre.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kept off the scoreboard for a second straight game, an early 2-0 deficit\u00a0that led to goalie Daniil Tarasov being replaced by Elvis Merzlikins was more than enough in the Ottawa Senators<\/a>‘ 4-0 victory. The loss dropped the Blue Jackets’ record in the second half of back-to-backs to just 1-10-0 this season, which will be a major area to examine if they miss the postseason.<\/p>\n “We’re\u00a0fighting\u00a0for\u00a0the\u00a0playoffs,” Blue Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov said, “Every\u00a0game\u00a0matters. Every\u00a0point\u00a0matters.\u00a0So, I\u00a0don’t\u00a0think\u00a0that\u00a0should\u00a0be\u00a0a\u00a0difficult\u00a0thing\u00a0to\u00a0get\u00a0yourself\u00a0going\u00a0for\u00a0a back-to-back.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Adam Gaudette, Nicholas Matinpalo and David Perron gave Ottawa a 3-0 lead and Shane Pinto sealed it into an empty net late in the third.<\/p>\n Linus Ullmark made 29 saves for the shutout.<\/p>\n The loss was the third straight for the Blue Jackets (34-33-9), who haven\u2019t scored a goal since captain Boone Jenner put them up 3-2 at 7:56 of the second period in a 7-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche<\/a> on Thursday at Nationwide Arena. That\u2019s a span of 152:24 without a goal, allowing the Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> and Senators to score 13 consecutive goals against a goaltending combination of Merzlikins (11 goals allowed) and Tarasov (two goals allowed).<\/p>\n The loss drops the Blue Jackets even further out of the playoff hunt in the Eastern Conference with just six games remaining \u2014 including a rematch against the Senators on Tuesday in Columbus. Starting the game, the Jackets were 11th in the conference standings in a tie with the Detroit Red Wings<\/a> at 77 points each, but the New York Islanders<\/a> moved past both to 78 points with a 4-1 victory over the Washington Capitals<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> are now closing in on the Blue Jackets with 74 points, while the Buffalo Sabres<\/a> are five points back of them at 72 and just six points behind Columbus are the Boston Bruins<\/a> and Philadelphia Flyers<\/a> in the last two spots of the East standings.<\/p>\n The Blue Jackets are now 4-11-1 in 16 games since taking control of the first wild-card spot in their conference with a 5-3 victory over the Red Wings on March 1 at Ohio Stadium \u2014 a maddening plummet from a point when it felt like they might be headed to the postseason. Their precipitous drop has been almost as remarkable as their impressive buildup before it.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sunday\u2019s game was another tough one to swallow.<\/p>\n Ottawa dominated the first few minutes of the game, swarming the Blue Jackets zone and taking a quick 2-0 lead on goals at 2:24 by Gaudette and 4:26 by Matinpalo \u2014 who netted the first goal of his NHL career (37 games).\u00a0<\/p>\n The second goal prompted Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason to make a quick goaltending change from Tarasov to Merzlikins, who started 22 hours earlier in a 5-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. The switch in goalies snapped the Blue Jackets awake, but their slumber was only half the issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n They also had to contend with Ullmark, \u00a0the Senators\u2019 top goalie, playing net for Ottawa. Despite putting together a stretch late in the first to close a wide gap in shots to a reasonable number, the Blue Jackets weren\u2019t able to get the puck past Ullmark in the first two periods and still trailed 2-0 starting the third.<\/p>\n Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger<\/a> can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com<\/a> and @BrianHedger.bsky.social<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n