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The Ottawa Senators had a tough night in Chicago on Tuesday, losing 7-3 to the Blackhawks. They started slow, giving up three goals in the first period before fighting back in the second. Despite closing the gap to one, they couldn’t keep up with Chicago’s offense. Connor Bedard led the way for the Blackhawks with his first NHL hat trick.After the game, Linus Ullmark spoke about the team’s performance. The Swedish netminder, who is on a four-year $33 million deal (according to Spotrac), said the team showed “a little bit of immaturity.” He admitted that the Senators may have underestimated the challenge of maintaining their scoring momentum.“It’s not easy winning in this league,” Ullmark said, via TSN's Bruce Garrioch. “You can’t go out there putting up seven two nights in a row and then expect to do it a third time.”Ullmark highlighted that playing back-to-back games requires a different level of discipline and preparation. He added that Ottawa didn’t handle the situation well, especially with travel between games.“It has to come, especially in back-to-backs; there is a skill to playing in back-to-backs,” Ullmark said. “It’s really tough, especially when you travel as well. And there’s a lot of things today I think that we could have done better.”The Senators defense struggled to contain Chicago’s pressure, and breakdowns in their zone made it difficult to build momentum. Ullmark stressed that the team must take accountability and learn from the loss.“We just have to look at ourselves in the mirror and come to terms with what we did learn from it and move on,” Ullmark said.Ottawa coach Travis Green agreed that the team didn’t start well.“At the beginning of the game we talked about we needed to be ready to start the game,” Green said, via NHL.com. “I didn’t think we were sharp, I didn’t think we had our skating legs. I do like that we found our game, pushed back in the second period, had a great chance to tie it. We got what we deserved tonight.”The Senators showed some energy midway through the game, with goals from Jake Sanderson, Michael Amadio and Tim Stutzle. However, their comeback effort didn’t last long, as the Blackhawks regained control in third period.Senators cruise past Capitals 7-1 with strong all around performanceThe Senators had a different result on Saturday, beating the Washington Capitals 7-1 at Capital One Arena. Dylan Cozens and Drake Batherson each scored twice and added an assist, while Tim Stutzle recorded two assists. Ottawa controlled the game from the start, outshooting Washington 34-13. The night was also notable for Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, who played his 1,500th NHL game.After the win, Sens coach Travis Green praised his team’s focus and effort.“A strong game from our group,” Green said, via NHL.com. “I just liked our focus right from the drop of the puck. When you beat a team like Washington, you’ve played a good game.”Ottawa will next face the Calgary Flames on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
