The Ottawa Senators are having a rough season. Things have gotten better as of late, but the team's playoff hopes are extremely small at the moment. They didn't get any better on Monday night when they fell to the Washington Capitals in the American capital. Interim head coach Jacques Martin believes the team can take something from this, though.

The interim Senators bench boss spoke with reporters following the loss. He kept his words rather straightforward. “We’ve just got to continue to learn from this game,” Martin said, via NHL.com. “We’ll review it tomorrow. There’s things that we need to be better at and move on. We play tomorrow night, so we’ve got to get back on the horse and be ready to compete.”

The Senators won three of their last four games prior to Monday night's loss. Ottawa received a big-time performance from Shane Pinto, who scored three points. However, Capitals forward Hendrix Lapierre scored twice, while Aliaksei Protas scored a goal and provided two assists in the win.

Senators have disappointed this season

Ottawa began the year as a potential playoff contender. They lost star winger Alex DeBrincat through trade in the offseason. However, they had an impressive core still in place. Continued improvement from the likes of Tim Stutzle and Jake Sanderson should have lifted Ottawa to the playoffs.

Unfortunately, things haven't gone as many thought. Ottawa struggled out of the gate and languished near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. The Senators ended up firing head coach DJ Smith, tabbing Martin as the interim replacement. Ottawa has gotten itself out of the Atlantic Division basement, but it still hasn't completely rebounded.

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DJ Smith with a question mark on his head, hockey rink in background

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Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios with Senators center Josh Norris next to an Ottawa Senators logo.

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After Monday night's loss to the Capitals, the Senators have 53 points. This places them 17 points back of division rival Tampa Bay Lightning for the final wild card spot in the East. They have games in hand over Tampa, but they have five teams ahead of them in the playoff race.

Jacques Martin and the Senators are well outside of contention this season. Monday's loss to the Capitals certainly doesn't help matters, either. Let's see if Ottawa can learn from this as Martin hopes and puts together a few wins.