After the firing of head coach D.J. Smith on Monday, the Senators lost their fifth game in a row on Tuesday night.
For a short time on Tuesday night, it looked like the Ottawa Senators coaching change had worked perfectly. The Senators grabbed a 3-0 lead in Arizona and it appeared for a moment like the vibes in Ottawa had completely changed.
But then the same issues that led to Monday's firing of DJ Smith reared their ugly head. In the first game under new interim head coach Jacques Martin, the Senators gave up four unanswered goals to lose 4-3 to the Coyotes. It was the Sens' fifth straight loss as they fall to 11-16-0 on the year.
Angus Crookshank led the way for Ottawa, scoring his first career goal to open the scoring. He also played 11:45, led the club in shots, and was second in hits.
"I am still trying to find a way to digest (scoring my first goal)," Crookshank told the media. "It was cool. I saw my parents jump up right away, which is something I won't ever forget."
Later, on a power play, a vintage Josh Norris one-timer made it 2-0. It was Norris’ third goal in as many games and his 10th of the season as he continues to work his way back into form.
73 seconds after that, the Senators made it 3-0, when Dominik Kubalik tipped home an Erik Brannstrom shot. That was it for Connor Ingram who gave up 3 goals on 6 shots and was replaced by Karel Vejmelka.
Despite the early lead, the Senators were outplayed through most of the night, spending huge amounts of time in their own end, and were outshot 38-22. Joonas Korpisalo had to come up with multiple big saves just to keep the lead intact for as long as he did.
Finally, Jack McBain broke through for Arizona, scoring on a rebound to cut the Sens' lead to 3-1.
As Arizona dominated the third period, the Senators' issue of conceding goals in bunches resurfaced, giving up two goals in 33 seconds.
The Coyotes first goal of the third period was controversial as Vladimir Tarasenko was cross-checked into the boards, just before J.J. Moser beat Korpisalo on a rebound. At this stage, the comeback felt inevitable. 33 seconds later, Clayton Keller tied the game on a sneaky wrist shot that surprised Korpisalo.
Finally, with 3:33 left in regulation, Michael Kesselring got credit for the game winning goal after a shot bounced in off Travis Hamonic’s skate and trickled into the Sens' net.
If the Senators are due for the "new coach bump" that other teams with new coaches have enjoyed in the past month, it certainly didn't kick in for them on Tuesday. The Senators' next game is Thursday night in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche.