Other than a seven or eight minute stretch in the second period where they tried to get back in the game, the Ottawa Senators didn't look like they belonged on the same ice as the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night.

As much flak as I have given him, Craig Anderson was on his game in the first period (and really the whole game for that matter) and the score could have been much worse. Other than Anderson it would be tough to point to a Senators player and say that he had a good game.

Turnovers, penalties, and simply not making the right play dogged them the entire night. Ottawa had its opportunities but couldn't cash in on the three power play opportunities they had while Tampa cashed in on two of four chances.

Heading into the game, Guy Boucher downplayed the fact that his new team was facing the team that fired him and exiled him to Switzerland for two years. As it turns out, perhaps he should have pulled a "win one for the Gipper" speech to get some emotion in his club because there wasn't much on display.

One guy I thought in particular that was having a terrible game was Zack Smith, who committed a couple of terrible turnovers early on in his own end and every time the puck was on his stick it seemed to just dribble off. Then you look at the boxscore and see that he played a team high (for forwards) 19:48. Boucher used him more on a night where he was struggling, and used guys like Kyle Turris and Jean-Gabriel Pageau less.

There was plenty of consternation on social media about this being more of the same from previous seasons, too many shots allowed, not being ready to play when the puck drops, and brutal special teams. That may be so, but it is still just 5 games in and although there are a lot of things to be critical of, including for me, the lines that the coach is using, I will still reserve judgement for another month or two. If the group is still as inconsistent and can't buy in by the New Year then it might be time to move some of the on-ice pieces out for players that can.

The Lightning are a team that the Senators should have trouble with, but Saturday night the Senators failed to show up and if not for Anderson it would have been out of reach in the first 20 minutes.

The Senators now head out for a three game Western Canada road trip that begins on Tuesday night in Vancouver.

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