Senators at Blue Jackets
The blockbuster trade to acquire defenseman Dion Phaneuf has yet to pay off in the win column for the Ottawa Senators, who will attempt to halt a two-game skid when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night. The Senators have been in a three-week tailspin, losing seven of 10 games (3-7-0) following Thursday's 4-3 home setback to Colorado.
Phaneuf, the key player in the nine-player deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, collected a pair of assists Thursday in his first home game with Ottawa and was greeted warmly by the fans. "That was nice, and that was an extremely classy move by the fans to welcome me to Ottawa," Phaneuf said. "I felt it and I appreciate it." The Blue Jackets are coming off a 4-3 shootout win over visiting Anaheim that boosted their record to 5-1-1 over the last seven games. "That's probably one of the better games we've played since I've been here," coach John Tortorella told The Columbus Dispatch.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TVA, City (Ottawa), FSN Ohio (Columbus), NHL.TV
ABOUT THE SENATORS (25-25-6): Captain Erik Karlsson also set up a pair of goals Thursday to give him 10 assists in six games since the All-Star break, raising his season total to 51 - eight shy of his career high established in 2011-12. Karlsson, who leads all defensemen with 62 points and is on pace to easily eclipse his career-best 78, has tormented the Blue Jackets this season with two goals and seven assists in a pair of decisive victories. Ottawa's league-worst penalty kill continued to struggle against Colorado, surrendering three power-play tallies.
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (22-28-6): Columbus captain Nick Foligno, who played his first five seasons with the Senators, had a pair of assists Thursday for his first multi-point game since Dec. 29. "I thought he played really well. But now he needs to come back with an even better game and start building that way," Tortorella said. "He’s not a kid. He’s a main cog of our team. He’s our captain. He needs to be there every night." Defenseman David Savard, who has missed the past 11 games, was activated off injured reserve Friday and could rejoin the lineup.
OVERTIME
1. Karlsson has seven goals and eight assists in 10 games versus Columbus.
2. Blue Jackets rookie G Joonas Korpisalo has made eight consecutive starts, posting a 5-1-2 mark.
3. Senators G Craig Anderson is 11-4-0 with a 2.35 goals-against average versus the Blue Jackets.