2 quick takeaways from Senators' rough 4-2 loss against Islanders

After a 3-1 win against the Nashville Predators last night, the Ottawa Senators had a short amount of time to prepare for their next game in under 24 hours against the New York Islanders.

The Senators were hoping to not have a repeat game against the Islanders from Nov. 7 when they fell 4-2 at home. In the second of three meetings this season, the date may have been different, but it resulted in the same result.

The Islanders defeated the Senators 4-2 at Canadian Tire Centre to drop the Senators to 12-13-2. The Senators still have yet to win three consecutive games this season.

Anton Forsberg allowed in three goals on 12 shots on goal to earn the loss, but Forsberg wouldn't get much help in an area that needs improvement desperately.

2. Well deserved new record for a player who desperately needed it

When the Senators signed Adam Gaudette to a one-year, $775,000 contract, Gaudette needed to prove himself deeply. Gaudette played two games for the St. Louis Blues last season, and was in desperate need of a big season to save his career.

At 28 years old, Gaudette has played incredibly well for the Senators. Gaudette scored the opening goal of the game 5:37 into the game.

Gaudette's goal was his 13th of the season, which set a new career-high for a single season. Gaudette scored 12 goals in the 2019-20 season when he was a member of the Vancouver Canucks. Prior to this season, Gaudette had not scored a goal since Feb. 13, 2022.

The unexpected rise of Gaudette has been phenomanal and given the Senators an extra boost of offense. Gaudette is now tied with Brady Tkachuk for the most goals on the Senators.

1. One area needs improvement badly to help out goaltending

The Senators came into today's game with the 24th ranked penalty kill (76 percent) in the NHL. However, the penalty kill struggles hurt the Senators big time against the Islanders, and it needs improvement desperately.

The Islanders scored two powerplay goals to earn the win. The first powerplay goal came in the first period from Anders Lee to tie the game at one. The second powerplay goal would be the momentum killer for the Senators.

With 6:14 remaining in the third period, Kyle Palmieri scored to give the Islanders a 3-2 lead. Bo Horvat scored the empty netter later on to ice the game.

The Senators' penalty kill has now allowed a powerplay goal in seven of the last eight games. Although Forsberg only made nine saves, not getting help from the penalty kill can make it difficult for a goaltender to make saves.

The Senators will close out their four-game home stand on Wednesday night when they host the Anaheim Ducks with puck drop scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. The Ducks won the first meeting against the Senators 4-3 in a shootout in Anaheim on Dec. 1.