Jake Sanderson scored the eventual game-winner as the Ottawa Senators topped the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 on Saturday night.

Ridly Greig scored and added an assist, and Drake Batherson also tallied for the Senators (39-28-5, 83 points), who improved to an Eastern Conference-best 29-6-0 this season when scoring first.

Linus Ullmark made 29 saves, and Shane Pinto added a pair of helpers as the Senators won for the ninth time in their last 12 games (9-3-0) and moved to 21-10-2 on home ice this season.

Boone Jenner and Kirill Marchenko responded for Columbus (33-30-9, 75 points), while Zach Werenski added a pair of assists.

Daniil Tarasov stopped 24 shots for the Blue Jackets, who won just three of their last 12 games (3-8-1).

Trailing 3-1, Marchenko made it a one-goal game at 11:02 of the third, splitting a pair of Senators and snapping a shot far side past Ullmark for his team-leading 28th. Marchenko has goals in three straight games.

Columbus out-shot Ottawa 12-8 in the first period, but the Senators had a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes.

Greig opened the scoring, tipping a Thomas Chabot shot past Tarasov at 7:24 of the first period for his 12th of the season.

Columbus responded 31 seconds later as Jenner banged home the rebound off Werenski’s point shot past Ullmark for his fifth of the season. The Blue Jackets captain has points in four straight (five goals, one assist).

Ottawa took a 2-1 lead at 14:08 as Batherson put home the rebound off Dylan Cozens’ shot between the legs of Tarasov for his 21st. Batherson has points in four straight (two goals, two assists).

Sanderson gave the Senators a two-goal lead at 9:17 of the second period, tipping home the Pinto rebound for his eighth of the season.

Saturday was the first of three meetings between the Blue Jackets and Senators over the next 11 days. The teams will reconvene in Ottawa on April 6 before wrapping up the season series in Columbus on April 8.

–Field Level Media