Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion met with media Saturday and conveyed his disappointment in his club's substandard first quarter of the 2021-22 campaign.
"I've had a few sleepless nights," Dorion said, according to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch. "The buck stops with me. We're going to battle through this. ... We've got to get out of this together."
The Senators were widely expected to take a step forward this season, but they sit dead last in the NHL with a 5-15-1 record through 21 games.
Ottawa enjoyed a late surge in the all-Canadian North Division to close out the 2020-21 season, leading many to believe the club was on the upswing. Dorion expressed personal confidence in the team's progress in September, proclaiming its rebuild over.
He reneged on that statement Saturday.
"What I should have said is all the core pieces are in place," Dorion said.
Injuries and a COVID-19 outbreak have affected the Senators' performance, but their numbers don't suggest a quick turnaround is imminent. Ottawa ranks near the bottom of the league in several key areas:
| Statistic | Total | League rank |
|---|---|---|
| Goals for per game | 2.42 | 28 |
| Goals against per game | 3.86 | 32 |
| Expected goals percentage | 44.78 | 29 |
| Corsi against per 60 | 63.95 | 32 |
| Expected goals against per 60 | 2.8 | 30 |
The Senators' next contest comes Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche.
(Advanced stats source: Evolving-Hockey)
