In his first game as the Ottawa Senators’ temporary head coach, Jacques Martin was once again in the dugout; however, this time, Daniel Alfredsson, the Hockey Hall of Famer and former captain, was standing alongside him rather than in the player’s front row.
After D.J. Smith and assistant Davis Payne were sacked on Monday, the Senators hired new coaches, and they soon discovered that Rome wasn’t built in a day as the team lost to the Arizona Coyotes 4-3 after blowing a three-goal lead.
Goalie Joonas Korpisalo was the team’s best player for the majority of the game, but the Senators faltered in the third and he was unable to carry it alone. With 3:33 left, Michael Kesselring of the Coyotes scored the game-winning goal thanks to a lucky bounce off defenseman Travis Hamonic’s skate.
The Senators’ two-goal lead in the third was eliminated by two goals in 33 seconds. They spent the most of the day chasing after them, and eventually paid a price. J.J. Moser got the Coyotes within one goal first, then at 9:47, Clayton Keller tied the score.
The Senators, who have now dropped their last five games, also received goals from rookie winger Angus Crookshank, who scored his first NHL goal, Josh Norris, and Dominik Kubalik.
“We did some good things and put in a strong effort. “After the game, I thought we had excellent puck possession, especially in the offensive zone,” Martin said to Gord Wilson of TSN 1200. There are a few areas in which we require improvement.
“I spoke with the squad following the game; we need to realize that we need to improve in a few other areas and our puck control. The effort was there, though. I’ll analyze the footage and say that, as of Thursday night, there are three or four areas where we need to improve.
