Music: {allcanada} Spezza, Senators respond to Blue Jackets' comeback

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

{allcanada} Spezza, Senators respond to Blue Jackets' comeback

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COLUMBUS -- Jason Spezza scored a late power-play goal after the Columbus Blue Jackets rallied from two goals down to lift the Ottawa Senators to a 3-2 win on Tuesday.

The Blue Jackets (26-23-4) have followed an eight-game winning streak with three straight losses. The Senators (23-20-10) won for the first time in three games.

Spezza, who assisted on the second of two goals by Stephane Da Costa, took a centering pass from Colin Greening but his shot hit the stick of Columbus defenseman Fedor Tyutin. The second try hit Tyutin's skate but the puck came back to Spezza and he scored his 14th goal with 4:58 left in the third period.

Cam Atkinson and James Wisniewski each had a goal and an assist for Columbus, with all their points coming on power plays

Da Costa, recalled from the Binghamton Senators of the American Hockey League on Jan. 20, scored his first two goals in eight games with the Senators this season.

Columbus fell behind 2-0 but rallied to tie with a goal by Atkinson in the second period and another by Wisniewski at 7:16 of the third.

Wisniewski effectively used the screen set in front of goalie Craig Anderson to score his fifth of the season from the top of the right circle after Senators center Zack Smith was sent off for hooking at Atkinson.

The Blue Jackets were 2-for-5 on the power play; the Senators were 2-for-4.

Da Costa's first multiple-goal game put the Senators ahead 2-0 at 6:24 of the second period after strong forechecking forced a turnover deep in the zone. Spezza collected the puck below the goal line and fed him for a bang-bang goal when Da Costa shirked the check of Columbus defenseman Jack Johnson.

Columbus, playing for the third time in four days and coming off a 3-2 loss Monday at the Carolina Hurricanes, lacked energy and was a step slow for the first half of the game but got a break when Spezza was guilty of hooking former Senators forward Nick Foligno.

The Blue Jackets needed 58 seconds to convert their third power play to make it 2-1 with eight minutes left in the second period.

It was a highlight goal for Atkinson because of the set-up by Calvert. Wisniewski fired the puck to Calvert on the right side of the crease. With Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson closing, Calvert passed the puck blindly between his legs to the left side, where Atkinson slammed in his 16th goal.

Da Costa gave the Senators a 1-0 in the first period. The Senators took advantage of their one power play to go ahead at 8:06, although that should not be a surprise; they have the best road power play in the NHL (27 percent) and the worst at home (11 percent).

Da Costa was the beneficiary of a rush by Milan Michalek while Calvert was off for holding former Blue Jackets defenseman Marc Methot. Michalek was checked off the puck in the front of the Columbus net but Da Costa was trailing and swept a backhander past Columbus goalie Curtis McElhinney.

McElhinney, playing in place of Sergei Bobrovsky, had 25 saves. Anderson stopped 34 of 36 shots.

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