Short-lived celebrations among the Senators

UPDATE DAY

The Ottawa Senators thought they had gained momentum with three out of a possible four points on opposing rinks, but now they're back to square one. < /p>

Indeed, another loss, suffered at home by the score of 4 to 2 against the Islanders of New York on Monday, undermined the rhythm acquired abroad in the previous days. The whole thing risks giving more arguments to the detractors of head coach D.J. Smith. The latter is on a tightrope, his training remaining in the cellar of the Atlantic section with 11 points in 15 games.

The ways to get out of the impasse remain simple: you have to work, again and again. And the absence of defender Thomas Chabot, struggling with a concussion, should not be used as an excuse.

“He's on the sidelines so the guys have to get up,” fullback Jake Sanderson, who played about 25 minutes on Monday, told the Ottawa Sun. I'm comfortable with the idea of ​​getting more minutes and doing whatever the club requires to win. It is certainly frustrating to lose. Nevertheless, we performed well and we can build on that. We know that we rely on good training. You just have to stay positive.”

“It's hard to accept, added Smith. Basically, the special units are everything. The opponent scores twice against a goal from our side. That's how you lose.”

Regular

In fact, the Senators' results in massive offense and short of a man have been rather average since the start of the campaign. The power play is not bad with an efficiency percentage of 23.2% good for 12th place in the National Hockey League. It's more complicated on the penalty kill, with the team in 20th place with a percentage of 76.8%.

At equal strength, some will have to do better, defensively speaking. Drake Batherson has a differential of -9, while his teammates Brady Tkachuk (-4), Tim Stützle (-4) and Alex DeBrincat (-5) also struggle on this level.

Ottawa will host the Buffalo Sabers, Wednesday.