The Ottawa Senators fell to 13-18 after losing 6-2 to the New Jersey Devils on Friday. They looked like they had turned things around after winning their two games prior, but the loss showed they still have a lot more work to do.

The Senators fired their previous coach, D.J. Smith, earlier this month after their 6-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. They bumped up Jacques Martin from a position of senior adviser to interim coach after the firing. Martin previously coached Ottawa from 1996-2004.

Martin addressed the sentiment of the team after their latest loss.

“We took a step back,” Martin said. “There's no sense being angry. But there's disappointment because I feel like the team was going in the right direction, making some progress. To a man, we have to be better. We're capable, we've shown it,” via The Score.

Jacques Martin also spoke on what specifically his players could have done better during the game.

“One of our biggest problems was the gap between our (defensemen) and our forwards,” Martin said, according to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch. “I didn't think our forwards came back hard enough. When the D got the puck, (the forwards were) too far. A lot of passes got intercepted. We have to be more composed and ready to compete harder. This team has a lot of learning to do.”

The Senators are still in last in the Central Division, having played the fewest games among all teams in their division. Ottawa will next play the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.