OTTAWA - The Senators squeezed in one final practice before the all-star break, and they did so without coach Cory Clouston on the ice.
While his players skated in a 9 a.m. workout at Bell Sensplex, Clouston was back in his office at Scotiabank Place preparing for the team’s next game ... six days down the road.
For what it’s worth, Clouston wishes it was sooner.
“I thought our guys played well last night,” he said of Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime loss to Buffalo, “and with a little bit of luck we could have come away with two points. So when you play a game you think you can build on, from a coach’s perspective you want to get right back at it.”
Clouston is not ducking any blame for the Senators' miserable 17-25-8 record and 13th-place standing in the Eastern Conference.
“No one feels worse about our situation than myself,” he said. “I feel responsible, and I want to make sure that when we come off the break, we have everything ready to go, the guys have a good solid practice and we’re ready to play.”
Defenceman Erik Karlsson will be the team’s lone representative at the all-star game Sunday in Raleigh, N.C.
He and his teammates will play their first game after the break Tuesday in New Jersey.
