Senators 3, Blue Jackets 0
OTTAWA -- Goalie Craig Anderson recorded his first shutout of the season and the 30th of his career as the Ottawa Senators defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 Thursday night at Canadian Tire Centre.
Anderson's 25 save performance was aided by defenseman Erik Karlsson, who led the Senators with two goals. Center Kyle Turris added the third into an empty net with 41 seconds remaining.
Blue Jackets goalie Curtis McElhinney stopped 26 shots in defeat.
The Senators lost right winger Bobby Ryan with just over four minutes to go in the third when he was hit into the end boards by Blue Jackets defenseman David Savard, who was given a boarding major and a game misconduct.
Ryan, who has been the Senators hottest scoring forward in the last half dozen games, looked to be in much discomfort as he was helped to the dressing room.
The win stopped Ottawa's losing streak at two games and ended a Columbus winning streak that had reached three. The Senators improved their record to 9-5-5 while the Blue Jackets fell to 7-13-0.
Anderson has seen a lot of rubber this season, as the Senators entered the night having allowed more shots on goal than any team in the league. But the checking tightened up in front of him against the Blue Jackets, who managed just six shots on goal in each of the first two periods.
Karlsson scored both goals in the second period to give him five in the past five games. His first, at the 16:24 mark originated from a Columbus turnover in the neutral zone. Senators centre Jean-Gabriel Pageau scooped up the gift and crossed over the Blue Jackets blue line down the left wing. His shot beat hit the post and the puck came straight to Karlsson, who fired it the open net.
Karlsson struck again 1:51 later with a wrist shot from the right wing boards that must have bounced in off Blue Jackets defensemen Cody Goloubef as he battled in front with Ryan. Originally, the goal was credited to Ryan, who appeared to knocked the puck into the net with the shaft of his stick, on a backhand. But it was later changed.
Senators center Mika Zibanejad thought he had ended an 11-game slump early in the third, but the goal was disallowed when it was ruled Senators defensemen Mark Borowiecki knocked Blue Jackets defenseman Fedor Tyutin into McElhinney just before the puck entered the net.
The Senators outshot the Blue Jackets 8-6 in a scoreless first period. Senators winger Mike Hoffman was awarded a penalty shot at the 14:09 mark when he was hauled down on a breakaway by Goloubef, but McElhinney stopped Hoffman's shot aimed at his low stick side corner.
NOTES: Blue Jackets G Curtis McElhinney was starting for the first time since Nov. 6, as coach John Tortorella elected to save No. 1 G Sergei Bobrovsky for the second of back-to-back games Friday against the Nashville Predators. ... Blue Jackets LW Jared Boll is expected to miss a week with a foot injury incurred when he blocked a shot Tuesday against St. Louis, which was his 500th NHL game ... Blue Jackets LW Josh Anderson replaced Boll in the lineup. It was the 21-year old's first NHL game of the season and the seventh of his career. ... Senators G Andrew Hammond missed his second game with concussion symptoms. His is listed day-to-day. ... Senators D Jared Cowen was cleared to return after missing two games with a foot injury, but he was made a healthy scratch for the first time this season. ... Senators LW Shane Prince was a healthy scratch for the fourth consecutive game.