Travis Green fumes as Senators fall apart eight seconds into loss vs. Panthers
Linus Ullmark and Travis Green saw the Ottawa Senators fall apart early, and the head coach didn't hold back after a 6-3 loss to Paul Maurice's Florida Panthers.
Eight seconds. That's all it took.
A breakdown between Ullmark and Jordan Spence led to Noah Gregor opening the scoring almost immediately, and Ottawa was already chasing.
“That's disappointing,” Green said postgame. “We talked about the importance of a good start in this building, and it was the exact opposite.”
It didn't stop there.
Florida kept pushing, and Ottawa had no pushback. By the time the first period was winding down, it was already 5-0, forcing Green to pull Ullmark with 5:24 still left in the frame.
That's not about goaltending alone. That's a bench sending a message.
“We looked flat, we lacked energy,” Green added. “We just weren't good enough tonight. To be honest, a lot of our players weren't at the level.”
Message sent early, response never came
The Senators never recovered from that opening stretch, and their special teams only made it worse. Ottawa finished 0-for-5 on the power play, while Florida went 2-for-3.
That gap told the story.
Ottawa generated chances later through Drake Batherson and Michael Amadio, but the game was already tilted. Florida dictated the pace, won races, and stayed in control through the neutral zone.
Even Brady Tkachuk couldn't drag the group back into it.
On the other side, Paul Maurice saw a different mindset from his bench.
“Ottawa is fighting for their lives,” Maurice said. “I think we were more afraid of them than they were of us. And rightfully so.”
That's a sharp line. And it lands.
Because this wasn't just another loss. The Senators are in a tight wild card race, sitting at 86 points, two back of the Columbus Blue Jackets at 88.
And they've got a game in hand. That makes this one hurt more.
Inside the room, players owned their part.
“We weren't ready to play at the start. Myself included,” said Spence. “It's tough. It's hard to climb back when they get two quick ones like that.”
That early mistake snowballed. Ottawa never settled into its structure, never found its forecheck, never controlled the pace.
And against a team with nothing to lose, that's a dangerous place to be.
Florida, sitting near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, played loose and aggressive. Ottawa looked tight, hesitant, and reactive.
Green's frustration comes from that contrast.
“There were some positives,” Maurice added. “We had power plays, we had chances… but once you get a couple, you get the energy, the crowd gets into it. It feeds your bench.”
Ottawa never got that moment.
Now the road tightens.
The Senators face the Buffalo Sabres next, a team sitting at 100 points, followed by a back-to-back against the Minnesota Wild and Carolina Hurricanes.
That's three straight games against teams firmly in the playoff picture.
There's no margin left for slow starts.
Green made that clear without softening the message. This wasn't about systems or bounces. It was about readiness and compete level.
And now the spotlight shifts to the players.
Because if that response doesn't show up next game, this race could slip fast.
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| POLL | ||
AVRIL 1|83 ANSWERS Travis Green fumes as Senators fall apart eight seconds into loss vs. Panthers Did Travis Green lose patience with his core players ? | ||
| Yes | 74 | 89.2 % |
| No | 9 | 10.8 % |
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