A day after another ugly loss and a players-only meeting, the Ottawa Senators returned to practice on Wednesday.
On Tuesday night, the club was handed a 7-2 home loss by the Philadelphia Flyers. It marked the second time in three games that the club has given up seven goals.
After the loss, the players had a 15-minute meeting to discuss what has been a rough start to the season.
On Wednesday, the players sounded like they were ready to turn the page and find a way to improve on their 1-5-0 record.
"We know we're not playing well and we know other teams are licking their chops to play us right now," forward Jason Spezza said. "We have to face it head on, get better and improve."
Defenceman Chris Phillips stated that it was too early in the year for the club to give up.
"The most important thing we can right now is not put our head down and feel sorry for ourselves," Phillips explained. "We have to be positive about the things we are doing well and continue with that.
"Obviously there are some areas we have to tighten up a lot."
New Ottawa head coach Paul MacLean cited the need to keep the lines of communication open with the players during this rough patch.
"We're still building a foundation for the future and obviously it's still a little bit shaky," the first-year coach said.
The Senators have two more home games coming up - Thursday against Winnipeg and Saturday against Columbus.
