OTTAWA -- Craig Anderson was beaten by the first shot and last shot he faced but stopped all 25 in between on Saturday night.

The Ottawa Senators goalie also had some help from his posts and his shot-blocking teammates while posting a 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Canadian Tire Centre.

"We stuck to our system, we stuck to our game plan, and we did it longer," said Anderson, who took over the team lead in wins with his 18th while improving his record to 6-2 since returning to the team after a two-month absence spent with his wife as she battles cancer.

"The guys paid the price tonight to earn the two points."

Erik Karlsson, Viktor Stalberg and Zack Smith scored for the Senators (35-22-6). Brandon Saad and Sam Gagner replied for the Blue Jackets (40-17-6).

Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo made 23 saves while No. 1 puck stopper Sergei Bobrovsky was given the night off.

The Senators, who are third in the league in blocked shots, added 24 to their total against the Blue Jackets with defenseman Cody Ceci's seven leading the way.

"They did a good job in the neutral zone. They weren't giving us much," Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski said. "They are a tight checking team and we kind of knew that going into it, that it was going to be hard.

"We've got to find more ways to break them down and get more Grade A (scoring chances) off the rush, especially."

After falling behind on Saad's goal early in the first period, the Senators scored the next three goals, one in each period.

Smith's was his league-leading fourth short-handed goal, with Korpisalo on the bench for an extra attacker at 16:58 of the third period.

Gagner's goal, his first in 31 games, came with 2:22 left on the clock and brought the Blue Jackets back within one.

"We created some opportunities," Columbus coach John Tortorella said. "(Hit) three posts. Had some looks, had some missed chances. (Anderson) made some good saves. The game could have gone either way. We wind up on the wrong end of it.

"I was confident going into the third period that we were going to come back and win that. I thought they defended pretty well in the third period. I still thought we had some zone time. They did a pretty good job in front of their net, too, as far as defending."

Stalberg's goal was his first since being acquired by the Senators at the trade deadline.

"I don't know if I'm here to score a bunch of goals, but certainly it does help, it takes a little pressure off and it gives you some confidence," said Stalberg, who has slid into a fourth line role since coming over from Carolina. "The guys get excited when new players score, too. The big thing for our line is to get momentum and be heavy, but we had some looks to get a couple of more goals here tonight."

Karlsson's goal, his 11h of the season, was off a nice setup by Mark Stone, who carried the puck into the Columbus zone and found the Senators captain with a precise pass in the slot.

Senators coach Guy Boucher said Karlsson and Stone "put on a clinic" but then had special words of praise for his top defenseman.

"What a player. Just, what a player," Boucher said of Karlsson. "I don't know if people realize here how good this guy is. This is going to be a guy you're going to look at for the next 50 years and go 'wow.' This is going to be one of the greats.

"I'm behind the bench, so I don't have to pay for my ticket, but trust me, I'd pay for my ticket every game. He's unbelievable. He's doing it all now, Offensively, defensively, it's so impressive. He caught up on the back check to save a goal, and he's the first guy on the other side .. I think he's better than ever, and I think it's a treat for everybody.”

NOTES: Senators D Erik Karlsson set a franchise record for the longest Ironman streak by playing his 312th consecutive game. ... Senators scratched D Fredrick Claesson, D Jyrki Jokipakka and F Chris DiDomenico. ... Blue Jackets scratched C TJ Tynan, D Scott Harrington and D Markus Nutivaara. ... Blue Jackets C Alexander Wennberg played his 200th NHL game.