Senators coach D.J. Smith says team needs a goaltender to step up

The Ottawa Senators have struggled to this point in the 2021-22 season, and goaltending has played a major part in that.

Matt Murray, who was acquired prior to the 2020-21 season to be the teams starter moving forward, has struggled mightily during his time as a Senator. In six games this season, he owns an ugly 3.26 goals against average (GAA) along with a .890 save percentage (SV%) and a 0-5-0 record. He hasn't been the teams worst goaltender, either, as Anton Forsberg owns a horrendous 4.56 GAA and a .884 SV%. The best of the three has been Filip Gustavsson, though he himself hasn't been anything to write home about with a 3.41 GAA and a .905 SV%.

You can't win in the NHL with goaltending like that, and it is clearly beginning to frustrate the team, or at the very least, head coach D.J. Smith. After a 6-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday, Smith let it be known to media that he needs his goaltenders to step up their play.

"We deserved better," Smith said. "The difference tonight was probably their goaltending. "

"I didn't mind our details. I just think we've got to send someone to take the net and start to win us some games when we give that effort. We need someone to get in there and hold us right now. We're a young team that needs someone to steal one for us, probably."

It isn't often you hear a coach call his players out to the media like this, but at this point there is not much else Smith can do. He has to be extremely frustrated as despite expectations that his team would take a step forward this season, they sit with a 4-12-1 record, and his goalies have a lot to do with that.

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