from Ian Mendes of The Athletic,

Almost one year later, on Monday night, the Senators experienced an awful case of been there, done that in San Jose.

Smith was forced to pull starting goaltender Cam Talbot after he allowed three goals on only seven shots. By that point, however, it felt like Ottawa’s fate was sealed. The Senators lost 5-1, but instead of pinning the blame on goaltending after the game in San Jose, Smith had some pointed remarks for his team’s play in its own zone.

“They score easy on a couple. We just weren’t tight enough on our guys. We didn’t check hard enough in our zone,” Smith said. “You got to be better.”

Smith’s postgame session with reporters in San Jose lasted just under two minutes....

In reality, there are no magic words Smith can utter that can satiate a seething Ottawa fan base. Many of them in the Eastern and Atlantic time zones likely turned off their televisions after an atrocious second period during which San Jose fired 21 shots and scored three goals.

When those fans wake up on Tuesday morning, they will find the Senators sitting in 31st place in the NHL standings — ahead only of the Anaheim Ducks. Ottawa sports a paltry .361 points percentage after 18 games, a pace that would put the Senators around the 60-point mark by the end of the season.

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