The Ottawa Senators took the long-expected step of firing coach D.J. Smith on the eve of Tuesday’s meeting with the Arizona Coyotes in Tempe, Ariz.
With Ottawa’s season at a tipping point, Jacques Martin will take the reins on an interim basis, with franchise all-time points leader Daniel Alfredsson to serve as an assistant. The Senators sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with 22 points (11-15-0) and have only three wins in their past 11 outings.
Whether the change is enough to turn Ottawa’s fortunes remains to be seen, but the Senators were already feeling the heat after Sunday’s 6-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights that has them on a four-game skid.
“We have to have our best game of the year Tuesday,” Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk said. “We’re treating this as do or die. There are four more points available (on this road trip). We have to have a big game.”
The Senators had high hopes of snapping their run of six seasons without qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs, but the current campaign has gone off the rails. Just over six weeks ago, Pierre Dorion was fired as general manager, replaced on an interim basis by Steve Staios.
Martin, 71, became the third coach in Senators history in January 1996 and was in that post for nine seasons. He was hired as a consultant less than two weeks ago and now must guide a team trying to find traction.
“I don’t like to use this word, but we’re a little fragile,” Ottawa winger Claude Giroux said. “When you lose a few games in a row, your confidence can be hurting. We’ve shown we can play with these teams, I know we can. We have to have a short memory and keep grinding. We can save our road trip in the next two games.”
Arizona is set to finish a three-game homestand after collecting consecutive shutout victories. Following a 1-0 win over the San Jose Sharks on Friday, the Coyotes blanked the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 on Saturday.
The Coyotes, who are looking to snap a playoff drought of their own, have won seven of their past 11 games.
“We’re a super young team and we’re learning,” said Arizona forward Clayton Keller, who scored what ended up being the game-winning goal against the Sabres. “There’s going to be tough stretches and there are going to be good stretches. We’re trying to be consistent every night and that’s what ultimately leads to wins.”
The last time the Coyotes — who have not made the postseason since 2020 and only once since 2012 — recorded shutout victories on consecutive days was March 1997.
Adding to the positive vibes is the fact that goaltender Connor Ingram’s performance against San Jose was followed up by Karel Vejmelka’s 28-save outing against the Sabres.
While Ingram has taken over as the No. 1 goalie, Vejmelka has been through fewer ups than downs this season. He had not won in eight starts, a run that dated back to late October.
“It was kind of tough for me,” Vejmelka said of his rut. “It wasn’t easy, but I think I made an entire step. It’s part of the game. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose, but I want to win every game.”
–Field Level Media
