The Blue Jackets are certainly rounding into top form.
Their special teams are playing better overall, compared to the turbulence each one went through during the bulk of the season. Veterans who struggled to match their own lofty expectations, individually, are beginning to lead the way again. The Jackets' goaltending situation is a strength, as well, with Sergei Bobrovsky looking razor sharp and backup Joonas Korpisalo recently rebounding from some struggles.
Columbus, which has also won six straight home games, is beginning to look like a team that can not only make the playoffs but do damage in them. The Blue Jackets feel battle-tested after a long season of peaks and valleys.
"It's a lot of fun," forward Matt Calvert said. "This is why you play hockey. You play to get in the playoffs. You play to play playoff hockey. When you're in March, it'd be nice to be first in the division and be comfortable, like we were last year, but at the same time you've got to battle through a lot of adversity. You've got to win every night. I think it gets you tougher and only makes you better for the playoffs when you do make it."
The Senators are second-to-last in the Eastern Conference, but that doesn't mean the Blue Jackets can afford to take their foot off the gas pedal. There's not as much at stake for both teams as there was Thursday in Philadelphia, but there's just as much on the line for Columbus.
"Obviously, we'd like to get ourselves top three in the division," Calvert said. "It's a little safer when you're in that spot. But it's going to be interesting. In the final [11] games, we play a lot of opponents that are right near us in the standings and it's going to be a lot of fun going forward. This is what you want. You want meaningful hockey games."
SERIES RECORD
2017-18 Season: (1-1-0). This is the finale of the series, which Columbus is looking to win after splitting the first two games in regulation. The Jackets won 5-2 on Nov. 24 at Nationwide Arena in the first game and the Senators won 5-4 on Dec. 29 at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.
All-time (W-L-T-O): 9-14-2-0 overall; 5-6-1-0 at Nationwide Arena
WHO'S HOT
Senators: Prior to the Senators' game against the Dallas Stars on Friday, Erik Karlsson had four points (one goal, three assists) in victories against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers. Karlsson had 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in the previous 10 games.
Blue Jackets: Cam Atkinson had a hat trick against the Flyers, which was his fourth career hat trick and the first this season for the Blue Jackets; Artemi Panarin has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in a six-game point streak and has points in 12 of the past 13 games.
EYES ON: THE SENATORS
EYES ON: THE BLUE JACKETS
PROJECTED LINEUPS
SENATORS
Forwards
Ryan Dzingel - Matt Duchene - Mike Hoffman
Bobby Ryan - Jean-Gabriel Pageau - Alexandre Burrows
Magnus Paajarvi - Zack Smith - Tom Pyatt
Max McCormick - Jim O'Brien - Marian Gaborik
Defensemen
Thomas Chabot - Erik Karlsson
Ben Harpur - Cody Ceci
Mark Borowiecki - Erik Burgdoerfer
Goaltenders
Craig Anderson
Mike Condon
Others: Fredrik Claesson, Mark Stone (leg)
Injured Reserve: Chris Wideman (hamstring surgery)
LTIR: Clarke MacArthur (concussion)
BLUE JACKETS
Forwards
Artemi Panarin - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Cam Atkinson
Sonny Milano - Nick Foligno - Oliver Bjorkstrand
Boone Jenner - Alex Wennberg - Thomas Vanek
Matt Calvert - Brandon Dubinsky - Mark Letestu
Defensemen
Zach Werenski - Seth Jones
Jack Johnson - Markus Nutivaara (upper body)
Ian Cole - David Savard
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Joonas Korpisalo
Others: Scott Harrington, Taylor Chorney, Lukas Sedlak, Markus Hannikainen, Ryan Murray, Josh Anderson (knee)
Injured reserve: Dean Kukan (upper body)
