Brady Tkachuk’s second career hat trick propelled the Ottawa Senators to a 6-3 victory over the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.
Claude Giroux scored a goal and added two assists and Ridly Greig and Erik Brannstrom added the others for the Senators, who extended their winning streak to a season-best four games.
Anton Forsberg, returning to the Ottawa net after missing 11 games with a groin injury, made 37 saves to improve to 8-5-0 on home ice this season.
Dmitri Voronkov, Boone Jenner and Jack Roslovic scored for Columbus, which has lost back-to-back games since returning from the All-Star break. Daniil Tarasov stopped 24 shots in the loss.
Ottawa led 5-3 after the second period.
Greig gave Ottawa a 4-1 lead, redirecting a Vladimir Tarasenko point shot past Tarasov for his ninth of the season at 5:37 of the second.
Columbus scored twice in a 3:13 span to pull to within one.
Jenner put a shot glove-side past Forsberg at 10:41 of the middle frame for his team-leading 16th of the season.
Roslovic then beat Forsberg short side for his third of the season at 13:54, pulling the Blue Jackets within 4-3.
Tkachuk completed his hat trick by beating Tarasov stick side on a power play at 16:48 of the middle frame.
Brannstrom’s empty-netter with eight seconds to play in the third capped the victory.
Columbus took an early 1-0 lead, but the Senators scored three unanswered to lead 3-1 after 20 minutes.
Voronkov opened the scoring by redirecting Kent Johnson’s centering pass past Forsberg for his 13th of the season at 7:11.
Tkachuk responded with two goals in 48 seconds.
The Senators captain tied the game 1-1 on a power play at 9:48, one-timing a Josh Norris feed past Tarasov.
Tkachuk then gave Ottawa its first lead on a partial break, putting his own rebound past Tarasov at 10:36 for his 24th of the season.
Giroux made it 3-1, beating Tarasov glove-side, off the crossbar and in, for his 17th of the season on a power play at 14:46.
The Blue Jackets doubled up the Senators 4-2 on Dec. 1 in Columbus. The clubs conclude the season series in Columbus on March 14.
–Field Level Media
