Ottawa Senators’ Brady Tkachuk says group ‘hungry for more’

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The Ottawa Senators took care of business on Saturday night at the Canadian Tire Centre.

That has to be the trend as November shifts into high gear.

The Senators had Sunday off to kick back after closing out their first back-to-back of the season with a 3-0 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday at home as they prepare to face the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday on the road.

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Coming off a disappointing 2-1 loss to the New York Rangers only 24 hours earlier at Madison Square Garden, the Senators picked up their first win — thanks to 22 stops from Anton Forsberg — of a month that will be pivotal in determining whether this club will make the playoffs.

“That was our best 60-minute effort as a team so far this season and that’s been our expectation,” said captain Brady Tkachuk, who gave the club a 2-0 lead in the second period with his seventh of the season. “I’m really excited to look to build off that.”

The Senators are trying to play the right way because after seven years of disappointment in the spring they want to get this situation turned around once and for all.

Tkachuk said there’s a level of hunger with this group that he hasn’t witnessed in the past.

“We’re sick of the continuous cycle that we’ve been on since we’ve been here of going home early and should have, could have, would haves throughout the whole year,” Tkachuk said.

“For us, this year is different, this year’s mindset is different and we want more from ourselves, each other, but the great thing about this group is the belief that we have in one another.”

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The club’s 5-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on the road a week ago served as a reminder that nothing will come easy. The Senators didn’t even give themselves a chance to win that game and Green delivered a wakeup by saying how much he didn’t like the effort.

Sometimes it takes a boot to get you up the ladder and since then the club has played with more consistency. They scored an 8-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday and got beaten by Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin on Friday after a terrific effort in New York.

“After the Colorado game, we were extremely disappointed with how we played there,” Tkachuk said. “There’s been an emphasis since then to never let that happen again. The last three games have shown the way that we need to play.

“To be honest, that’s the way we need to like and want to play. Those are the types of games that we need to thrive on. As a team, we’re just going to keep building off that, and we aren’t a group that’s going to be complacent with wins and efforts. We want more.”

We’ve discussed this before, but to make the next step the Senators have to play with consistency nightly.

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People will tell you only 11 games into the season that it’s too early to look at the standings and scoreboard watch, but don’t believe that ridiculous talk for a New York minute. Points you earn or lose now all add up when the National Hockey League hands out playoff spots in April.

The Senators woke up ranked No. 8 in the standings on Sunday and the Atlantic Division is shaping up to be a battle.

Green told the players on the back end of this two-game set to keep their shifts short because the Kraken were sitting in Ottawa while the Senators were battling the Rangers.

Discipline is a key to success and the Senators followed the plan.

“We want to be known as the most consistent, hard-working team night in and night out,” Tkachuk said. “That was an example tonight that we probably don’t have our ‘A’ legs or the energy, but it’s just about keeping it simple and short, and changing at the right time to get other guys out there.

“We had to keep it fresh and keep wearing them down because they’ve been sitting here waiting for us. That goes into the characteristics and the mindset of being an Ottawa Senator that we want to do every single day.”

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Whether help is on the way remains to be seen and we’ll get a better idea before the club heads to Buffalo.

Defenceman Artem Zub could be closing in on a return from a concussion he suffered on Oct. 14 that has forced him to miss eight games. He has been skating in Ottawa and if he’s on the ice with the rest of the group on Monday before the Senators leave for Buffalo then that’s a good sign.

Centre Shane Pinto has missed five games with an undisclosed injury. He’s been listed as week-to-week, but after doing some homework that means it won’t be months. Pinto won’t require surgery for the ailment and the hope is that he’ll return soon.

BGarrioch@postmedia.com

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