The Columbus Blue Jackets face the Ottawa Senators with both teams looking to improve from rough seasons. The Blue Jackets have an 11-22-2 record and with only three wins in the last 10 games are in last place in the Metropolitan Division while the Senators have a 17-17-3 record and are near the bottom of the Atlantic Division. Both teams look to improve in the Eastern Conference and the upcoming game should be a good one as a result.
The Blue Jackets are having an awful season with their offense struggling and scoring only 2.69 goals per game with only seven goals in the last three games. Johnny Gaudreau, Jack Roslovic, and Gustav Nyquist have scored 21 goals and 53 assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the offense has struggled. Only four active skaters have eight goals or more while only four active skaters have eight assist or more and opposing defenses can eliminate the offense as a result.
The offense has struggled but the defense has been one of the worst in the league, allowing 3.91 goals per game. Vladislav Gavrikov and Andrew Peeke have combined for 2.5 defensive point shares but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing opponents to find open shots on the net at will. The bright spot has been the play of goaltender Joonas Korpisalo who has a .912 save percentage and a 3.13 goals-against average on 452 sh ots.