Tim Stutzle hated the way he started Tuesday’s game, but felt pretty good about how things ended as the Ottawa Senators blanked the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-0.
Stutzle had a goal and an assist to lead the Senators and continues to impress all those around him.
The 20-year-old centre now has eight points, including five goals, in his last six games.
Stutzle felt he was terrible in the first, but was proud how he and his teammates rebounded for the final 40 minutes.
“I was awful in the first, that’s for sure,” said Stutzle. “We just talked in the intermission that we’ve got to stick with it. We had a couple of bad turnovers here and there, especially our line, but we tried to stick with it, play better in the second period and the third period and I think everyone in here did a great job.”
WATCH l Senators use strong middle frame to secure shutout win over Blue Jackets:
Ottawa scored 3 of their 4 goals in the middle frame, en route to a 4-0 win over Columbus. Anton Forsberg stopped all 22 shots faced.
Derrick Brassard and Austin Watson also scored for Ottawa (18-17-3), while Anton Forsberg made 22 saves in his second consecutive start for his second career shutout.
With the shutout on the line Travis Hamonic blocked a Patrick Laine shot late in the game that didn’t go unnoticed.
“Obviously standing up for the team, for me,” said Forsberg of the sacrifice. “It’s not easy to eat one there, it’s 3-0 and it’s just the kind of character we have on this team and I think we show it’s just not that, it’s all over. We do a great job.”
Joonas Korpisalo, who didn’t get much offensive support, stopped 33 shots for Columbus (11-23-2), who have now lost eight straight road games.
Frustration was evident as the losses play a toll on the Blue Jackets.
“Sometimes the best wins are coming from behind, and we just haven’t seemed to kind of ever find that this year,” said Cole Sillinger.
“We haven’t scored the most goals, right? We’re scoring one, two, maybe maximum three goals a game, and it’s tough when you get down 3-0 in the third and you’re trying to fight back. We just have to dig a little deeper and play together.”
Watson made it 4-0 scoring short-handed into an empty net late in the third.
Costly penalties
Four minor penalties in the second cost the Blue Jackets with Ottawa scoring twice on the power play.
“[We] took four,” said Columbus coach Brad Larsen. “What do you expect is going to happen against a good power play? It’s just silly. They’re all penalties, every single one of them.”
Brassard opened the scoring with a power-play goal after he tipped a Jake Sanderson shot. Stutzle made it 2-0 after he grabbed a rolling puck and beat Korpisalo. Batherson made it 3-0 with the Senators second power-play goal of the period and his 13th of the season, 10 of which have come on the power play.
It was the start the Blue Jackets were looking for, but Forsberg was up to the challenge.
“For whatever reason they kind of surprised us,” said Senators coach D.J. Smith. They’re a lot faster team than maybe we thought, their speed off the puck, but the response was great.”
The Senators are approaching the halfway mark of the season and are slowly gaining ground in the standings, but know consistency will be the only way to keep progressing.
“We’ve got to keep chipping away,” said Smith. “We want to get back in the pack, I think that’s our big goal. January’s a big month for us.”