Ottawa Senators vs Columbus Blue Jackets Match Player Stats On Jan 23, 2022

Tim Stutzle scored the tiebreaking goal late in the second period and Anton Forsberg stopped 35 shots as the visiting Ottawa Senators halted a three-game losing streak with Sunday night's 2-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

After giving up a 1-0 edge late in the first period, Ottawa regained the lead for good with 3:58 left in the second period. Stutzle broke into the host's zone, split the Blue Jackets' defense and showed off some nifty stick-handling to beat Columbus netminder Elvis Merzlikins (31 saves).

Defenseman Artem Zub set a career high with his fourth goal for Ottawa, which regrouped and was able to bounce back after it blew a 2-0 third-period lead during a 3-2 overtime loss at Washington on Friday.

Stutzle has 11 points in his last 13 games for the Senators, who ended a 0-4-1 rut at Columbus.

Forsberg, meanwhile, was solid all night, allowing only Sean Kuraly's goal with 34 seconds remaining in the opening period, to end his own 0-3-1 starting slide.

Losers of two in a row, the Blue Jackets were held to two or fewer goals for a fourth consecutive contest. Columbus has averaged just 2.7 goals while going 6-14-1 over its last 21 games. The Blue Jackets have dropped three straight and five of the last six at home.

Ottawa opened the scoring 7:59 into the first period. Zub, the second-year player who has recorded three goals in his last eight games, threw a hard wrister from just inside the blue line toward the net. The puck appeared to glance off Columbus' Oliver Bjorkstrand, then got through some net-front traffic and by Merzlikins.

Columbus, though, tied the game with 34 seconds left in the opening frame. Positioning himself in front of the net, Kuraly pushed in a Jakub Voracek pass to give the hosts some momentum going into the first intermission.

Kuraly's goal was his first since Dec. 7, snapping a 14-game scoring drought.

--Field Level Media