SNAPSHOTS: Staying on even keel during games a late-season objective

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The Ottawa Senators have undergone an attitude adjustment.

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When interim coach Jacques Martin took over from the fired D.J. Smith on Dec. 18, Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, made the change because he wanted to put a foundation in place to push for a playoff spot next season.

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An area Martin has worked hard at changing with Hockey Hall of Fame assistant Daniel Alfredsson is the club’s approach through the course of the game. Martin doesn’t want the players to get too high or too low — no matter what the score is — and the best bet is to remain on an even keel.

Coming off a 4-3 shootout victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, the Senators talked a lot about playing the right way after coming back from a 2-0 deficit midway through the second period. They needed to keep that approach Monday night against the Washington Capitals on the road.

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“Our play away from the puck and probably our mindset has changed,” Martin told TSN 1200’s Gord Wilson on Monday. “We’re a team that has a better understanding on how we need to play the game to be successful.

“At times, you need to be patient. There’s going to be some ups and downs in a game. You’ve got to manage those highs and lows but you’ve got to stay the course. If you get behind, you can’t start cheating and try to make it up right away.

“You’ve got to be prepared to play 60-to-65 minutes or whatever the situation calls for.”

The Senators went into the game against the Capitals with a 7-1-2 record in their last 10 games.

“For sure we’re looking to get better on a daily basis, but I don’t think you can have success in this league if you don’t respect how you need to play on a given night,” Martin said. “Teams are good. You’ve got to be prepared to battle, you’ve got to be prepared to go to war every night and you’ve got to play with some structure.

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“You’ve got to trust your teammates, trust your instincts that they’re going to do their job, and you’ve got to try to be at your best every night.”

PINTO A KEY

Washington coach Spencer Carbery says he has seen a difference with the Senators since the club got centre Shane Pinto back from a 41-game suspension in mid-January.

Carbery told reporters before facing Ottawa that Pinto has given the club depth in the middle and has helped to balance the attack. Pinto went into the game Monday with four goals and 10 points in the 14 games he has played.

His return has taken some of the pressure off Tim Stutzle and Josh Norris to carry this team offensively in the middle of the ice.

“Shane Pinto has changed their group a lot since he’s been back,” Carbery said. “I feel like he gives them three lines, in the different ways, all can stress you defensively.”

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Entering play Monday 16 points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot, the Senators have little hope of making the playoffs. According to the site sportsclubstats.com, the Senators had a 1.6% chance of making the playoffs before facing the Caps.

“They’re playing at a really high level,” Carbery added. “They’re in that spot where they’ve got a fighting chance. They feel like every game for them is a Game 7 or a playoff-style game. They’ve been playing that way for a while and they’re rolling.”

It was interesting to learn of Carbery’s thoughts on how much respect he has for the Senators’ defensive core with alternate captain Thomas Chabot, Jake Sanderson, and Jakob Chychrun .

“They have as mobile a (defensive) core as anybody. Florida’s (defencemen) are mobile, but with Chychrun, Sanderson and Chabot, (Artem) Zub and (Erik) Brannstrom, they can scoot,” Carbery said. “Whether that’s off the rush or in the offensive zone, they can do a lot of damage back there as well.”