The Ottawa Senators dug themselves an early hole that they could never fully get out of despite valiant efforts, but the talk will surround an action that happened after the game.

Following the final buzzer of the 6-5 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, Erik Karlsson skated over and picked up the puck. Instantly, a fan base on the edge and waiting for more bad to happen took that as an indication that even Karlsson, somewhere in that mind of his, recognized that it may have just been his last game as a Senator.

Karlsson finished the game with three assists, moving into a tie with Mark Stone for the team scoring lead, while Thomas Chabot and Matt Duchene each had a pair of goals and added an assist. Mike Hoffman's 3 helpers made it a quartet of three-point players on the night.

It was a wild game, with 77 shots on goal in total, but it was the three goals allowed by Craig Anderson, including goals 21 seconds apart, in the first 12 minutes that created a lead the Jets would never surrender.

Ottawa narrowed that gap to one, but Brandon Tanev's shorthanded goal restored the two goal lead on what was really the backbreaking goal. The Senators answered back but each time the Jets restored the 2 goal cushion until Duchene's 200th career marker on a 5-on-3 with just over a minute left made if 6-5 and they could get no closer. Christian Wolanin scored his first career goal earlier in the period. Chabot's pair gave him 9 on the season, one shy of Andrej Meszaros' club record for rookie defensemen.

So that loss put a wrap on the home portion of the schedule, with a 3 game in four night road trip on tap to finish the season starting Wednesday in Buffalo.

Karlsson stated last week that they would address whether or not he would accompany the team on the trip, but as of last night he had yet to make the decision to go or to stick close to home to be with his wife as they continue to mourn the loss of their son.

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