For the first time in his career, Joonas Korpisalo took his place in the visitors’ locker room at Nationwide Arena and his former Columbus Blue Jackets teammates made life difficult for him in Friday night’s 4-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators.
The Finnish goalkeeper spent just over seven seasons in Columbus, mostly playing second fiddle. He was traded to the Los Angeles Kings last March before signing with Ottawa as a free agent.
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The Jackets had a nice tribute for the 29-year-old, but that was the only gift he received. Korpisalo’s 100th win will have to wait as his 19 saves on 23 shots weren’t enough.
After losing to the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, the local favorites were hungry and took control late in the top twenty. Patrik Laine and Dimitri Voronkov tied the game at 2-2.
Adam Fantilli and Boone Jenner put Columbus in the driver’s seat in the next third. The relatively disciplined Senators still paid every time they received a penalty, allowing a goal in both of their numerical disadvantage situations.
In his first game since October 26, Thomas Chabot shone with an assist. Used on the power play, he paved the way for Brady Tkachuk, who beat Elvis Merzlikins with a powerful slap shot.
In addition to his goal, the Senators captain was involved in Claude Giroux’s success two minutes earlier. During a two-on-one run, Tkachuk spotted the veteran, who served the Latvian goalkeeper a cup of coffee. However, Merzlikins had the final say, finishing the duel with 41 saves.