Senators coach Travis Green didn't pull any punches, labelling their 4-1 loss as one of the worst performances of the season.
The Ottawa Senators didn’t exactly go out with a bang in 2025.
In their final game of the calendar year, they fell 4–1 at home to the Columbus Blue Jackets for their third loss in a row, all to teams behind them in the Eastern Conference standings.
Columbus was not only playing in a back-to-back situation without their best player, Zach Werenski, but they also had a travel day from hell. Thanks to weather-related flight delays, they arrived in Ottawa just hours before the game.
But it was the Senators who looked sluggish, shooting themselves in the foot a number of times in what head coach Travis Green described as one of their worst games of the season.
Jet Greaves was the game’s first star, stopping 27 of 28 shots as the Blue Jackets were outshot by Ottawa 28–22. Leevi Merilainen made 18 saves in his first game since assuming the starter's job during Linus Ullmark's leave of absence.
Boone Jenner opened the scoring for Columbus with about five minutes left in the first period. Senators winger David Perron opted for a high-risk clearing pass that bounced off Charlie Coyle and back into the Ottawa zone. Cole Sillinger picked up the puck in the corner and fed Jenner out front, where he deflected it in.
Early in the second period, Columbus added to their lead. Deep in the Blue Jackets’ zone, Senators captain Brady Tkachuk made a poor pass toward the front of the net. Columbus intercepted it, and Tkachuk made a slow skate to the bench for a change as the Blue Jackets burst out with numbers. Jordan Spence intercepted a chip pass but softly handed it right back to Columbus. They charged in, and Damon Severson beat Leevi Meriläinen with a long slap shot to make it 2–0.
Midway through the second, Jake Sanderson cut the deficit to 2–1 with a nice wrist shot, his eighth goal of the year.
Early in the third, Denton Mateychuk’s shot from the point through a crowd made it 3–1. It appeared Boone Jenner skated through Meriläinen’s trapper, and since the goal beat him glove side, Meriläinen felt it shouldn’t count. But the Senators' video team opted not to challenge.
Kirill Marchenko then put the game to bed on a Columbus rush that started with three Ottawa forwards caught deep. Tim Stützle was below the goal line and Shane Pinto was in the corner. Despite the fact all three forwards were at the end of their shift, Fabian Zetterlund drifted down low as well. That led to an odd-man rush, and while Pinto went off on a change, full credit to Stützle for trying to hustle back when his legs must have been burning.
Travis Green was brutally honest in his assessment of his team’s performance.
“Not very good. Not a lot of good in our game tonight. I don’t say that very often, but that was one of our worst games of the year, I think. The only good thing about it was probably the penalty kill. Other than that, it wasn’t a very good game.”
The Senators close out 2025 as a slightly worse team than they were a year ago. They finished last season with a record of 19-15-2 (.556). This year, they sit at 18-15-5 (.539).
The Sens will try to get back on track as they host the Washington Capitals on Thursday for a New Year’s Day matinee (1 pm). Here's hoping they emerge from New Year's Eve better than they did from their Christmas break.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News - Ottawa
Read more Ottawa Senators news and features at The Hockey News:
Senators Announce That Linus Ullmark Is Taking Leave Of Absence
Top Ottawa Senators Prospect Suits Up Again At World Juniors
Josh Norris: 'I Really Felt Like (Ottawa Fans) Had My Back, Even When I Was Injured'
NHL Player Fined For Cross-Checking Senators Star Tim Stutzle In The Face
Ottawa Senators Have A Soft Spot For Their Tough Guy
Senators Announce Their Latest Addition To Ring Of Honour