COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Once the Ottawa Senators got started, the Columbus Blue Jackets seemed powerless to stop them.

Defenseman Marc Methot, center Kyle Turris, left winger Milan Michalek, center Mika Zibanejad, center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, left winger Mike Hoffman and right winger Bobby Ryan all had goals for the Senators, who scored the final five goals of the game.

Defenseman Erik Karlsson had four assists, while Ryan and Zibanejad added two each.

"Once we got the lead, I think the game changed," Ryan said. "I thought we traded too many chances with them early in the game, but we weathered the storm. Once we got the lead, we grabbed the reigns a little bit."

By the time the Senators' scoring assault was done, Nationwide Arena was half empty. Those who remained booed loud enough to muffle the final buzzer.

The Blue Jackets, who dropped to 0-4-0, are off to the worst start in the franchise's 15 seasons.

"There's no real answer for the game to get away from us like that," Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno said. "It's disgusting. I wish I had more answers."

The Blue Jackets allowed 20 goals in four games, with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, the 2013 Vezina Trophy winner, in net for all but one period and all but one of the goals.

Left wingers Brandon Saad and Boone Jenner and center Brandon Dubinsky scored for the Blue Jackets. Bobrovsky stopped only 20 of 26 shots.

"I have zero confidence right now," Bobrovsky said.

Ottawa trailed 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 before taking the lead late in the second period and pulling away in the third.

Senators goaltender Craig Anderson finished with 38 saves.

Only one downer on the night for Ottawa: left winger Clarke MacArthur appeared to strike his head on the ice in the first period and did not return to the game.

Senators coach Dave Cameron said he had not spoken with Ottawa's medical staff and could not provide an update.

The Blue Jackets squandered leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2, allowing Ottawa to tie it 3-3 on Turris' goal at 9:32 of the second.

The Senators took the lead late in the second period when Zibanejad was granted a wide berth in front of Bobrovsky and scored around his left pad, making it 4-3.

"We were better with the puck in the second and third," Cameron said. "We managed it better. And when got the sixth goal, that pretty much took the wind out of their sails."

At 1:45 of the third, Pageau scored off a simple wrister from the slot that appeared to befuddle Bobrovsky, making it 5-3.

The Senators pushed it to 6-3 at 9:12 of the third when Hoffman, skating alone into the zone with speed, beat Bobrovsky with a high wrister.

Ryan capped the scoring with 4:05 to play when he scored into an empty net.

NOTES: Ottawa G Andrew Hammond (groin) was activated from the injured list and expected to make his season debut on Thursday in Pittsburgh. ... The Blue Jackets hinted that C Alexander Wennberg (concussion) and RW David Clarkson (lower body) could return for Friday's game against Toronto. Wennberg left the season opener after a big hit from New York's Chris Kreider and Clarkson was injured during the preseason. ... Senators RW Curtis Lazar (bruised foot) blocked two shots and left Monday's loss to Montreal early. After skipping Tuesday's practice, he was in the lineup on Wednesday night. ... The Blue Jackets have been notorious slow starters under in three-plus seasons under Todd Richards, so this is nothing new. They started 5-12-4 in 2012-13, 6-10-13 in 2013-14 and 6-15-2 last season.