Gameday Preview: Blue Jackets vs. Senators

The Details

BLUE JACKETS vs. SENATORS
GAME INFO
COLUMBUS: 23-44-8, 8th in Metropolitan
OTTAWA: 37-34-5, 6th in Atlantic
NATIONWIDE ARENA, 6 p.m. ET
BROADCAST INFO
TV:
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AUDIO:
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BY THE NUMBERS
CBJ Player Statistics
Senators Player Statistics
NHL Standings
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What They're Saying

There's no denying the situation Columbus is in, with the Blue Jackets' roster held together by chewing gum and shoestrings after eight different players went out with either illness or injury in the eight days before last night's loss against the Panthers.
Still, while the current group probably could have used nametags just to get to know each other last night, the Blue Jackets weren't about to use any experience gap as an excuse for last night's lopsided loss to the Panthers.
"We're going out there trying to win a hockey game, that's it, no matter who is in the lineup," captain Boone Jenner said afterward. "Obviously things have happened with injuries and what not, the uncertainty of some guys. So guys come up, and whoever we have in the lineup, we have to put an effort forward."
That meant four recalls were made ahead of yesterday's game, with forwards Joona Luoto and Justin Richards making their CBJ debuts, Josh Dunne summoned from Cleveland and Marcus Bjork added again from the Monsters.
Those players will stay in the lineup tonight, and head coach Brad Larsen will want to see the team make strides from his squad no matter who is in the lineup.
"We had some moments early, but they scored easy as far as some of their goals," he said of Saturday night's performance. They got rolling, and then we were chasing it. It wasn't a good recipe for tonight. It felt like they were the better team."

Know The Foe: Ottawa Senators

Head coach: D.J. Smith (Fourth season)
Season Stats:Goals per game: 3.15 (19th) | Scoring defense: 3.24 (18th) | PP: 24.6 percent (6th) | PK: 81.8 percent (9th)
The narrative: It appears Ottawa will end up on the wrong side of the playoff line for the sixth straight season, but the Senators did give it a good run. One of the NHL's youngest teams - at least to its core players - is six games back of a playoff spot with six games to go, so a postseason berth will require some strong play and some help. At the same time, the young roster took a step forward this year, and the Senators' 37 wins are the franchise's most since the 2016-17 team made the Eastern Conference final.
2022-23 leaders: Ottawa's scoring is top-heavy, but it gets the job done as three players have at least 70 points and two more are above the 50-point mark. Tim Stutzle has had a breakout campaign, as the 21-year-old has 17 goals and 41 points in his last 28 games on the way to leading the squad with a 37-47-84 line.
Brady Tkachuk (23 years old) is next as the All-Star center has a 34-44-78 line, while veteran Claude Giroux is the old hand of the group, with the 35-year-old posting 29 goals among his 72 points. Alox DeBrincat (25) has 25 goals and 61 points in his first season in Ottawa, while Drake Batherson (24) also tops the 50-point mark with a 21-37-58 line.
In net, with former Blue Jacket Anton Forsberg out with injury, Ottawa has used six different goalies on the year. Mads Sogaard started last night in Toronto but left with illness, so Cam Talbot (16-14-1, 2.86 GAA, .902 save percentage) could get the start tonight in Columbus.
What's new:The injury bug has hit Ottawa in recent weeks, especially on the blue line, where trade deadline acquisition Jacob Chychrun and stalwart defenseman Thomas Chabot have been out of the lineup. The Senators posted a 13-4-1 record from late January through early March, prompting thoughts of a playoff run, but a five-game losing streak followed and the Sens are just 4-6-1 in the last 11. Defense has been an issue, with the squad giving up 32 goals in those seven defeats.
Trending:Columbus entered the season 8-2-2 against the Sens in the last five seasons, but Ottawa claimed victories Jan. 3 (4-0) and March 4 (5-2) in Kanata and will look to sweep the season series.
Former CBJ:2006 CBJ first-round pick Derick Brassard passed the 1,000-game mark earlier this year and has 13-10-23 in 62 games, but he suffered a leg injury earlier this week. Nick Holden, 35, remains in the league as a steadying blue line force with 2-14-16 in 59 games. Forsberg remains on IR, while Tyler Motte and Dillon Heatherington were with the Sens earlier this year but no longer are.

3 Keys to the Game

Bounce back: Saturday wasn't pretty, but the Blue Jackets think there's a better performance inside of them.
Draw on young energy: Columbus' roster is short a number of players, but the Blue Jackets have added some young, hungry players in recent weeks. There should be some buzz there to build on in the room.
Play from ahead: The Blue Jackets got behind Saturday night and never could catch up. A lead would help with confidence.

3 Stats to Know

• Kirill Marchenko has 20 goals and three assists on the season, making him the only CBJ player in history to score at least 15 times in a season with less than 10 assists. Only one player in the NHL's modern era -- Florida's Brandon Pirri, with 22-2-24 in 2014-15 -- has finished a season with at least 15 goals and only three assists, per Hockey Reference.
• Johnny Gaudreau posted his 19th multipoint game of the season Tuesday in New York and has a 4-10-14 mark in the last 11 games.
• Milestone watch: Luoto and Richards made their CBJ debuts yesterday, making them the 326th and 327th players in team history. Goalie Jon Gillies will play tonight, making him No. 328. … Marchenko tied Pierre-Luc Dubois' CBJ rookie record with his 20th goal of the season Tuesday. … Gaudreau became the fourth player in team history with 50 assists in a season with his helper Tuesday. He joins Artemi Panarin (twice), Ray Whitney and Jakub Voracek. … Boone Jenner (169-159-328) is seven points from surpassing Nick Foligno (142-192-334) for third most in Blue Jackets history. … Goalie Michael Hutchinson is two games from 150 for his NHL career.

Who's Hot

The Blue Jackets rank seventh in the NHL in power-play percentage since Jan. 21, converting on 21 of 86 opportunities over the last 27 contests (24.4 percent). … Jack Roslovic had points in five straight games (3-4-7), one off a career high, before last night's shutout loss. ... Marchenko's 20 goals are tied for third in the league with Ottawa's Shane Pinto among rookie goal scorers, one behind leaders Wyatt Johnston of Dallas and Matty Beniers of Seattle. … Kent Johnson has 2-7-9 in the last 11 games, and his 15-23-38 line places him in the top 10 in team history among rookies in goals (sixth), assists (fourth) and points (tied for fourth). He ranks sixth in the NHL in goals and is fourth in points among rookies. … Columbus is first in the NHL in goals among rookies with 49 and second to Montreal in points with 102.

This Day in CBJ History

April 2, 2003: Marc Denis sets a then-CBJ record for shutouts when he posts his fifth of the year, making 27 stops in a 3-0 blanking of Minnesota in Nationwide Arena.
April 2, 2015: Columbus earns its sixth multigoal comeback victory of the season, defeating the Islanders 4-3 in a shootout after trailing 3-1 to surpass their previous record of five in a campaign. The Jackets finished with eight multigoal comeback victories on the season.
April 2, 2016: Brandon Saad notches the fifth natural hat trick in team history and Boone Jenner notches his 30th goal of the season in a 5-1 win at Carolina.
April 2, 2022: Former CBJ captain Nick Foligno is honored for playing in 1,000 games in a pregame ceremony at Boston, and the Bruins score thrice in the third to claim a 5-2 victory over the Jackets.

Roster Report

Projected Lineup (subject to change)
Johnny Gaudreau - Boone Jenner - Kirill Marchenko
Kent Johnson - Justin Richards - Emil Bemstrom
Eric Robinson - Sean Kuraly - Liam Foudy
Joona Luoto - Josh Dunne - Hunter McKown
Jake Christiansen - Marcus Bjork
Tim Berni - Andrew Peeke
Gavin Bayreuther - Billy Sweezey
Jon Gillies
Michael Hutchinson
Scratches:Adam Boqvist (illness), Jack Roslovic (upper body), Lane Pederson (upper body), Patrik Laine (triceps strain, out two to four weeks as of March 24); Nick Blankenburg (ankle, week to week); Mathieu Olivier (lower leg bone bruise, out 2-4 weeks as of March 27); Erik Gudbranson (separated shoulder, out six weeks as of March 27); Elvis Merzlikins (lower body, day to day)
Injured reserve:Jake Bean (shoulder, out four to six months after surgery in November); Zach Werenski (shoulder surgery, out for season); Justin Danforth (shoulder surgery, out for season)
Roster Report:The Blue Jackets had to patchwork a roster together for last night's game, and the squad will use the same 18 tonight. Gillies will play his first NHL game of the year and the 33rd of his NHL career when he makes his CBJ debut in net.