With a weak closing by the Ottawa Senators compared with the way they started the game, the Sens lost 5-2 to the Montreal Canadians on home ice Thursday night.

This was the 13th loss this season for the Senators, which even though the Panthers’ defeat by the same score against the Avalanche, are still in the last place in the NHL Atlantic Division.

With Montreal’s Paul Byron scoring his second goal of the night two minutes before the end of the game, the Sens showed how easy is for them to receive goals this season. The defense was lost for huge lapses of the game and with a very weak offense, the Sens confirmed why they are doing not so well this season.

It’s clear that Ottawa still needs a major power forward star capable of carrying the team on his back in big games like these.

This wasn’t the best night for Matt Duchene, the Sens current top scorer (34 goals). Mark Stone had a promising start by scoring the first goal of the game but he and the Sens showed an inferior level compared to the Canadians for most parts of the game.

“I think the guys were ready to rebound tonight, I think the first period showed it,” said Senators’ head coach Guy Boucher after the game. “But both games (the last two) slipped away in the second period because of bad puck management.”

The third period was all about the Canadians. The Sens looked impatient and couldn’t really do anything against the Habs’ versatility. The Canadians dominated the period and offered very few chances for the Senators.

The Sens took more control of the game by the end of the second period. They finally managed to surpass the Habs’ defense and Colin White scored the second goal for the Sens two minutes before the end of the period. There was definitely more action during this period but the Sens just couldn’t find a way to capitalize on their chances.

The Habs kept defending really well and had the possession of the puck for most of the period. They showed a high level of effectiveness when Byron and Shaw scored, taking away Ottawa’s hopes of winning the game.

The first period wasn’t the most exciting period. The Sens scored first, gave a better performance and was notoriously their best period. Regardless of all the energy they had, the Senators didn’t know how to keep the advantage and let the Habs tie the game in less than a minute. The Habs’ reaction complicated the game for the Sens, who couldn’t find a way to make a comeback. That period ended 1-1.