The Columbus Blue Jackets returned to the friendly confines of Nationwide Arena Tuesday to face the Ottawa Senators for the second time in three days. The Blue Jackets were shut out, 4-0, in the Canadian capital Sunday. Columbus got off to a much better start at home, taking a 2-0 lead after a period of play and going on to beat the Sens, 5-1.

Columbus was still mathematically in the running for the NHL Eastern Conference’s second wild card slot, but the Jackets could ill afford to lose any of their remaining games. Going into Tuesday’s contest, they had six games remaining, four at home. If they won all of their games and Montreal went 1-3-1 or worse in their five remaining games, the Jackets would edge them out for the final playoff spot in the East.

In the opening period against the Senators, Columbus got on the board seven minutes into the contest when Mathieu Olivier skated behind the Ottawa goal and found Dmitri Voronkov in the slot for a shot that went by Sens’ goalie Anton Forsberg. With 3:22 left in the first, Justin Danforth took a long pass from Denton Mateychuk, then moved from the right circle to the slot with a toe drag for the second goal.

In the second period, each team added a goal. Ottawa scored 3:42 into the frame when Fabian Zetterlund chipped in a rebound from close range off a Claude Giroux shot on the power play. Olivier countered for the Blue Jackets with just 22 seconds remaining, knocking in a Danforth pass from the right point that glanced off his skate at the left post to put Columbus up, 3-1.

Sean Monahan added to the Columbus lead on a power play at the 2:37 mark of the third period when he took a perfect pass in the right circle from Kent Johnson and powered it by Forsberg. Nine minutes later, Adam Fantilli skated past the defense and buried a shot from the slot and the Jackets led, 5-1. Ottawa responded with 4:50 left on a rebound goal from Thomas Chabot on a 2-on-1 opportunity against CBJ goalie Elvis Merzlikins.

Montreal beat Detroit, 4-1, Tuesday, so for the Blue Jackets to claim the second wild card position, the CBJ cannot lose any of their last five games and Montreal cannot win any of their remaining four games in regulation. Columbus hosts Buffalo Thursday, while Montreal plays at Ottawa Friday.