After back-to-back losses to the Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche, the Ottawa Senators ended their two-game skid with defeating the New Jersey Devils 3-2 last night at Prudential Center.
The win helped the Senators win the season series against the Devils. Goals by Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson and David Perron in the second period helped secure the win, along with Linus Ullmark making 25 saves.
Whenever a team hands a team a loss, it's always possible that tensions could be rising in a negative way. The Senators' win drew some tension in the Devils locker room just like the first time, and it wasn't good.
Keefe rips Kovacevic after loss to draw some potential tension building in locker room
When the Devils fell 2-1 to the Senators on Jan. 19, Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe blasted his team, in particular the better players on the team. Keefe said it was "that simple." Last night, Keefe called out one player in particular.
Following the loss last night, Devils defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic talked about how the Devils need to have a playoff mentality. Keefe responded by blasting Kovacevic.
"Kovacevic just needs to play better," Keefe said. "That would help."
"Kovacevic just needs to play better. That would help."
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 23, 2025
Sheldon Keefe showed his frustration towards Johnathan Kovacevic following the Devils' loss to the Senators. pic.twitter.com/xIyUMGXF6Y
Over the past six games, Kovacevic has recorded just one assist. Against the Senators, Kovacevic went pointless along with two penalty minutes. While the Senators didn't score on the powerplay that Kovacevic was in the penalty box, he still put the Devils in position where they could surrender a powerplay goal.
It wasn't the first time this month that Keefe blasted one of his players. After the Devils fell against the Winnipeg Jets on March 7, Keefe said that Simon Nemec was " in the wrong league." Unlike the Devils, confidence is high for the Senators.
With the win, the Senators remain in the first Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference with 79 points. The Senators are one point behind the Devils in the overall standings.
The Senators got help yesterday with the New York Islanders losing in overtime and the Montreal Canadiens losing in a shootout.
As of this morning, the Canadiens trail the Senators by four points, the New York Rangers trail the Senators by five points and the Islanders trail the Senators by six points.
Tuesday will be the next time the Senators will be back in action when they face the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.