|
The Senators’ performance on Saturday night is already in the rear-view mirror.
After spending Sunday having some fun at their skills competition, coach Cory Clouston will blow the whistle for practice Monday morning and with four games before the two-week Olympic break, the Senators are determined to put another winning streak together after their 11-game streak skidded to a sudden halt in Toronto.
Coming off a lacklustre 5-0 loss to the Maple Leafs Saturday at the Air Canada Centre, the Senators will host the Flames on Tuesday and Washington on Thursday before hitting the road with stops in Detroit on Saturday and Long Island on Sunday.
“It’s disappointing when you look at the final result of (Saturday’s game), but we have to forget about it,” said defenceman Chris Phillips. “You have to look at what we did the 11 games before, and not in the sense of being proud of it, looking at the way we played and how we have to play. We have to get back to that.”
The loss showed the Senators how quickly it can turn sour if they don’t pay attention to the details that made them successful during their three-week run.
“It wasn’t our game. We didn’t get bounces and we didn’t really come to play. We’re just putting that behind us,” said centre Mike Fisher. “We know where we’re at as a team and where we can be. We’re just going to put that right behind us and make sure we’re ready.”
If the Senators were to win their final four games before the break, they could potentially go from fifth to second place in the Eastern Conference.
“Every night you’ve got to be ready to play. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing against,” said Phillips. “You can’t take anything for granted or take minutes off or you can pay the price like we did (against the Leafs). It’s a good lesson to stay sharp and stay focused. We’re running out of games here before we get ready for the playoffs.”
