GARRIOCH: The Ottawa Senators focus on hard work to try to get back to having success
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But Smith isn’t laying the blame on the players. He and his staff are also taking responsibility for what’s happened thus far. The task doesn’t get any easier against the defending Eastern Conference champions at the Amalie Arena and the time is now to get back on track. If the Senators are to get out of Tampa with two points, the plain and simple truth is they have to have a much better start than in Florida.
Twice, the Senators came back to tie the game. First, with goals by Shane Pinto and Brady Tkachuk in the second period and then with an effort by Nick Holden in the third. Both times, they couldn’t capitalize on getting back into this one.“We always talk about how we want to play our game and what we to do to have success,” said alternate captain Thomas Chabot. “We didn’t use any of that . We had a good stretch at home before we came on the road and we were playing some really good hockey.
Ottawa Senators goaltender Anton Forsberg makes a save as Florida Panthers centre Anton Lundell follows on the play in the first period at FLA Live Arena.“It’s our arrivals,” Smith said. “It’s coming back in our zone. We were stopping our feet, we weren’t taking guys and that’s something we’ve been good at. We were leading the NHL in odd-man rushes going into the game. We gave up eight and that’s not us.