Well, that was the kind of game that I was expecting more of this season. A tight-checking, scrappy, low event effort that saw the Senators struggle to generate much in terms of high-danger scoring opportunities. Over the last month, the team has won their fair share of close contests. Sometimes, they don’t go in your favour.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are in a similar position. After an offseason exodus of star power that saw Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky, Matt Duchene, and Ryan Dzingel leave for greener pastures, Columbus has been forced to rebuild with a younger core.