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Saturday Showdown: Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Ottawa Senators

By Grant Miller

Jan 22, 2017; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo (70) makes a save on a shot from Ottawa Senators center Kyle Turris (7) in the second period at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 22, 2017; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo (70) makes a save on a shot from Ottawa Senators center Kyle Turris (7) in the second period at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Columbus Blue Jackets hit the road Saturday night to face the Ottawa Senators. Both Columbus and Ottawa sit in second place in their respective divisions. The Blue Jackets are coming off a hard fought 1-0 win against the Western Conference leading Minnesota Wild on Thursday while Senators  beat the league worst Colorado Avalanche 2-1 on Thursday.

Keeping Pace in The Division

The Columbus Blue Jackets take on the Ottawa Senators Saturday night in a game with playoff implications for both teams. The Blue Jackets need a win to keep pace with the rest of the Metropolitan Division as the Metro continues to be the tightest division in the league. The Blue Jackets are tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins at second with 86 points. The New York Rangers are two points behind them and currently hold the top wild card spot in the East. The Senators have 74 points and are two points ahead of the Boston Bruins and six points behind the Montreal Canadians in the Atlantic Division.

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Last Time Out

The last time these two teams faced off, goals were a plenty as the Jackets escaped Ottawa with two points in a 7-6 win in overtime. The Jackets trailed 5-3 going into the third period of that game before Lucas Sedlak and Matt Calvert tied the game up just two minutes into the last period. Both Sedlak and Calvert will be out of this game with Oblique injuries. The two skated in full gear at practice on Friday.

Back To Back for Columbus

Saturday night’s game is the first of a back-to-back for the Blue Jackets, who will have to turn around quickly to take on Metropolitan foe New Jersey Devils on the road Sunday at 5 p.m EST. This is the first of five-back-to-backs for Columbus through the month of March. Nine of the sixteen games in March take place on the road. The Jackets are 17-7-5 on the road this year.

Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus Blue Jackets /

Columbus Blue Jackets

Goalie Situation

The puck drops at 7 P.M. at the Canadian Tire Centre. Joonas Korpisalo will start in goal for the Blue Jackets. This means that we can probably expect to see Sergei Bobrovsky tomorrow night to try to keep both goaltenders as rested and healthy as possible. Korpisalo last started on Feb. 25 in the 7-0 rout of the New York Islanders. Korpisalo was the topic of a few trade rumors before the deadline but ultimately was not dealt. His play in this final stretch and especially in these back-to-back games will go a long way in ensuring a top seed for the Jackets as they make their way to the playoffs.

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