PREVIEW: Blue Jackets welcome Senators to start five-game homestand

The Blue Jackets have won four in a row, with three of them coming under Rick Bowness, but they’ve taken different routes to get to each victory under the new head coach.

Columbus never trailed in home victories last week vs. Calgary and Vancouver, though it did have to overcome a trio of Flames power-play goals to earn a late win. Then on Saturday in Pittsburgh, there were enough twists and turns to fill a Hollywood script.

The Blue Jackets got an early goal to take the lead, then were outplayed the rest of the period and trailed 2-1 going to the second. Columbus was much better in the middle frame and took a 3-2 lead into the third, but Pittsburgh pushed in the final minutes and scored an empty-net goal to send the game to overtime. There, both teams had chances but couldn’t score before Columbus prevailed in the shootout.

So what changed for the Blue Jackets from a first period in which they gave up eight scoring chances to a final 40 minutes in which they were much better defensively?

“When I looked at the video, in the first period, the structure was there,” Bowness said. “What was missing? Compete. That was missing. That’s what we talked about after the first period, get back to that, and you saw in the second we were quick on the puck, a lot better in all zones. We battled hard. We weren’t playing 1-on-1 hockey. We had support on the puck, and the biggest thing, we had pressure all over the ice. That’s competing.”

Improving the team’s defense – goals against, chances against and the penalty kill – was key No. 1 for Bowness when he took over, and a lot goes into it. First off, a good defense can stem from offense, so puck possession has been emphasized. To get the puck, the Blue Jackets are pushing for more pressure and more pace to force teams into turnovers and limit their time to create when they do have possession. And after that, there’s a focus on team defense and covering the slot in their own end.

The results have been mixed so far – Columbus has given up four power-play goals in the three games, but on the good side, the Blue Jackets have allowed just two 5-on-5 goals since Bowness took over.

“We’re playing with more confidence, too,” Severson said. “The systems aren’t necessarily earth-shattering changes, but it’s just little tweaks here and there. We’re sharpening up there, and we’re being a lot smarter. It’s the NHL – guys are going to score goals, guys are going to get looks, it’s a game of mistakes, but for the most part what we’re doing, especially in this last week has been much better.”

The Blue Jackets talked about how important the stretch of games going into the Olympic break would be, and so far, Columbus has taken advantage with the full complement of points in the last four games. Tonight’s contest against an Ottawa team that has a matching record as the Jackets this season kicks off a season-long five-game homestand, making it crucial to keep the strong defensive play and good vibes going.

“Guys, great game, (we) feel awesome, and (now we have to) work in the future,” Marchenko said after the Pittsburgh game. “Now it’s important games. Ottawa, Dallas, Tampa, great teams wait (for) us at home. It will be interesting.”

Scratches: Dante Fabbro (lower body injury), Denton Mateychuk (upper body injury)

Injured Reserve: F Mason Marchment (upper body injury, week to week); F Miles Wood (lower body injury, week to week); F Isac Lundeström (lower body injury, week to week); D Brendan Smith (knee surgery, out three to four months as of Jan. 8)

Roster Report: Fabbro and Mateychuk remained out at Monday’s practice, with Rick Bowness noting Fabbro will likely miss around a week after suffering an injury Saturday at Pittsburgh. Lundeström returned to practice Monday and will skate again today and tomorrow and then be evaluated for a potential return.

This Day in CBJ History

Jan. 20, 2003: Eleven different Blue Jackets notch points in a 5-1 victory vs. Chicago at Nationwide Arena. Grant Marshall and Ray Whitney each post a goal and an assist while Marc Denis makes 37 saves. Making his season debut with the team, David Ling delivers a crunching hit with just over a minute to go, leading to a center ice fight with Chicago's Mark Bell.

Jan. 20, 2006: Rick Nash notches the first shootout winner of his career, scoring the only goal of the skills competition in a 4-3 victory at St. Louis. Nikolai Zherdev, David Vyborny and Jan Hrdina score in regulation while Marc Denis makes 41 saves.

The Numbers Game

Zach Werenski has points in 13 of the last 14 games (9-13-22) as well as 24 of the last 28 (14-27-41) and has scored nine times in the last 12 games. He has 30 points in his last 16 home games (12-18-30) and is tied first among NHL defensemen in goals (18), second in points (52), second in average ice time (26:40) and is first in multipoint games (17). ... Kirill Marchenko has a four-game point streak (2-4-6) and points in 11 of the last 13 games (8-7-15). ... Set to play in his 999h career game, Charlie Coyle has four goals in the last four games, plus the shootout winner Saturday in Pittsburgh. He is also one goal from 200 in his NHL career. ... Mathieu Olivier has 17 hits in the last three games and leads the NHL with 58 since returning from injury Dec. 28. ... Blue Jackets defensemen have scored 37 goals this season, the most in the NHL. … Danton Heinen notched his first goal as a Blue Jacket on Saturday and is two from 100 in his NHL career. ... Columbus has scored the first goal in 13 of the last 17 contests and is 5-1 in shootouts this year.

Know The Foe: Ottawa Senators

Head coach: Travis Green (Second season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 3.25 (10th) | Scoring defense: 3.40 (29th) | PP: 24.4 percent (7th) | PK: 71.5 percent (32nd)

The narrative: A talented young core led by forwards Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stützle, Shane Pinto, Ridly Greig and Jake Sanderson helped the Sens break a seven-year streak without postseason hockey, as Ottawa returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs a year ago only to fall to Toronto in the first round. The next step is to build on that, and Ottawa has been up and down throughout the season, and a recent 4-6-3 stretch has the Senators in last in the Atlantic Division.

Scoring leaders: One of the reasons the Sens have been inconsistent out of the gate is the fact captain Brady Tkachuk missed 20 games with a hand injury, though he's posted a 10-17-27 line in 28 games since returning. Stützle had a 13-game point streak from December that stretched into early January, and he leads the squad with a 21-28-49 line, while Drake Batherson follows with 19 goals among 44 points. Sanderson – the son of former CBJ forward Geoff Sanderson – leads the defense with 10 goals and 39 points, good for a tie for seventh in the NHL among blueliners. Dylan Cozens (15), Shane Pinto (14), Fabian Zetterlund (11) and David Perron (10) give the Sens eight double-digit goal scorers.

In net: Starting goalie Linus Ullmark took a personal leave of absence in late December, and the four goalies the team has used – Leevi Meriläinen, James Reimer, Hunter Shepard and Mads Søgaard – have a combined .838 save percentage since then. Ullmark could return soon, while Meriläinen has 20 appearances on the year with an 8-10-1 record, 3.51 GAA and .860 save percentage. Reimer was signed recently and made his Sens debut with 30 saves on 34 shots against Sunday at Detroit.

What's new: Ottawa was banged up in the early going, but Ullmark is the only player on the roster currently out. It’s been a big loss, though, as Ottawa has given up 53 goals in the last 13 games (4.08 per game) and 14 in the last three. In an Atlantic Division that boasts some of the hottest teams in the league, the Sens are falling a bit behind, and Ottawa enters tonight six points back from a playoff spot.

Trending: The teams have traded road wins this year, with Ottawa claiming a 6-3 win on Dec. 11 in Nationwide Arena before Columbus responded with a 4-1 triumph 18 days later in Kanata. The Blue Jackets are 8-2-2 in the last 12 matchups in Nationwide Arena.

Former CBJ: None