Ottawa 2, Columbus 0
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, January 19, 2017
Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Referees:
Tom Chmielewski, Ian Walsh
Linesmen:
Devin Berg, Brandon Gawryletz
Attendance:
15823
By The Sports Xchange
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Mike Condon has proved to be an iron man for Ottawa for the past few weeks and the goaltender came up big against one of the NHL's highest-scoring teams on Thursday night.
Condon made 42 saves in his 11th straight start and 21st consecutive game overall, posting a shutout for the Senators in their 2-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets in Nationwide Arena.
Kyle Turris and Ryan Dzingel each scored a goal and Condon made the lead hold up through a scoreless third period.
Turris' goal came in the first period and Dzingel scored his ninth goal of the season in the second.
Condon (12-7-3) even survived a five-on-three late in the third when he tried to pass the puck and it went up in to the crowd for a delay of game.
The Blue Jackets (30-10-4) lost for just the third time in regulation in their past 21 home games and were shut out for the first time since their 16-game winning streak ended with a 5-0 loss to the Washington Capitals on Jan. 5.
"It's fun playing teams like this," Condon said. "They throw pucks at the net and you just react. That's when I'm at my best. You just getting a groove and go with it."
The Senators (24-15-4), who started a road trip with a 6-4 win in St. Louis on Tuesday night over the Blues, were battling an illness running through the locker room but rallied when it was time to take the ice.
"A lot of guys were playing under the weather and the guys went out there and came through against a good Columbus team," Condon said.
For the second straight night at home, the Blue Jackets gave up the first goal. Turris skated in on a breakaway and snuck a shot over Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky's outstretched right leg for his 16th goal of the season.
"It was a great team effort," Turris said. "And Condon stood on his head."
Unlike in the Blue Jackets' 4-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, Columbus was unable to respond with an answer against Condon despite outshooting the Senators.
"He had some really good saves for them," Blue Jackets forward Nick Foligno said. "We had some chances with the five-on-three to get something going and we don't. That's tough, especially with our power play. We're pretty deadly in there. We just didn't get the job done and that's disappointing."
The second period was a defensive standoff until Dzingel, one of the players affected by the bug affecting the Senators, tipped in a shot from the right circle by Chris Wideman just after a power play ended at 16:12, boosting Ottawa's lead to 2-0.
"I felt better as the game went on," Dzingel said. "It was just me. A lot of guys played through it ... especially scoring and winning makes you feel a little less sick."
The Senators (24-15-4) kept pressure on Bobrovsky (27-7-2) all night but he managed to keep the game close with multiple outstanding stops. The All-Star had 26 saves.
The Blue Jackets haven't put together back-to-back wins since their long winning streak ended earlier this month.
"At the end of the day, we didn't score a goal," Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson said. "I think we had a good feeling all night we were going to score on him. We had a lot of good chances. He played really well."
NOTES: Blue Jackets D Zach Werenski sat out Wednesday's practice because of illness, but was in the lineup. He has not missed a game this season. ... Columbus D Marcus Nutivaara missed his second straight game with an undisclosed injury. ... Senators D Fredrik Claesson was active after being scratched in nine of the past 10 games. D Mark Borowiecki was scratched. ... G Craig Anderson remains on personal leave to be with his wife Nicholle, who is battling throat cancer. ... The Senators and Blue Jackets met for the first time this season. The teams play again Sunday at Ottawa. ... The Blue Jackets' 30 wins and 64 points through 43 games far surpassed the franchise bests of 21 wins and 47 points at that point in the season. ... Senators C Derek Brassard and D Mark Methot are former Blue Jackets players.
Top Game Performances
Ottawa |
|
Columbus |
Ryan Dzingel 1 |
Points |
N/A |
Ryan Dzingel 1 |
Goals |
N/A |
Derick Brassard 1 |
Assists |
N/A |
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Mike Condon 1.000 |
Save Percentage |
Sergei Bobrovsky .929 |
Mike Condon 42 |
Saves |
Sergei Bobrovsky 26 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Ottawa
|
28 |
2 |
0-4 |
3-3 |
10 |
38 |
Columbus
|
42 |
0 |
0-3 |
4-4 |
22 |
32 |
Upcoming Games
-
Columbus will play their next game at home against Carolina. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .677 after a win and .692 after a loss.
-
Ottawa will play their next game on the road against Toronto. The Senators have a W/L % of .522 after a win and .600 after a loss.