Martin: Senators have 'a lot of learning to do' after blowout loss

After five games behind the bench and 11 contests since rejoining the organization, Jacques Martin's evaluation of the Ottawa Senators is becoming more clear: there's a lot of work to be done.

Martin spoke candidly about the team's growing pains following Friday's 6-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils.

"One of our biggest problems was the gap between our (defensemen) and our forwards," Martin said, according to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch. "I didn't think our forwards came back hard enough. When the D got the puck, (the forwards were) too far. A lot of passes got intercepted. We have to be more composed and ready to compete harder. This team has a lot of learning to do."

Martin was known as a detailed, defensive coach during his first run with the Senators from 1996-2004. But it hasn't been smooth sailing in his second tour of duty, as Ottawa has surrendered 22 goals in five games (4.4 per contest) since Martin was named interim head coach. The Sens are 2-3-0 since the change.

The club appeared to be making progress after reeling off back-to-back victories entering Friday, making it a frustrating defeat for a team that's longest win streak on the season is just three games.

"We took a step back," Martin said. "There's no sense being angry. But there's disappointment because I feel like the team was going in the right direction, making some progress. To a man, we have to be better. We're capable, we've shown it."

Defensive inconsistency has plagued the Senators in recent years. They rank 29th this season with 3.58 goals against per game and haven't finished higher than 20th since they last made the playoffs in 2016-17.

The Senators are tied for last place in the Eastern Conference in points percentage (.419) after entering the season with playoff aspirations.