KANATA, Ontario — The Red Wings will want to forget about this little series in Ottawa.
The Wings' chase for the playoffs hit a roadblock in Canada's capital city, with the Senators completing a sweep of the two-game, back-to-back series Tuesday, 6-1.
The Wings (28-24-8, 64 points) dropped their third consecutive game and failed to gain ground on the teams above them in the chase for an Eastern Conference wild-card chase, while watching Ottawa (30-26-4, 64 points) draw even with them.
Unlike the night before (during a 6-2 loss), when the second period doomed the Wings, Tuesday it was a disastrous first period that sunk the Wings.
After Dominik Kubalik opened the scoring with his 17th goal, Ottawa roared back with four consecutive goals in the period.
A penalty shot goal, one short-handed, and on the power play. Ottawa simply blitzed the Wings.
Tim Stutzle scored on a penalty shot (4 minutes, 8 seconds), Austin Watson scored with Ottawa short-handed (7:52), Watson scored again, his sixth goal, at 15:46, and Alex DeBrincat capped the barrage with a power-play goal 23 seconds later.
Suddenly, the Senators were up 4-1 and the game felt already over.
The outcome proved to be disappointing, losing two games to an Ottawa team battling alongside the Wings in the playoff race.
"Every game from now on, it's playoff hockey," said defenseman Jake Walman, who has playoff experience from his days in St. Louis. "I know what it's like to kind of battle for that and that's what it's going to be every game no matter what position the team we're playing is in.
"It's playoff hockey."
Coach Derek Lalonde talked before the game about the need to return to the type of game the Wings were playing before Monday's disappointing loss.
"We've been in these big games for a while," Lalonde said. "I don't think it's anything different than the last four or five games. We just want to play the way we did our last four or five (previous). (Monday) wasn't so much about the loss, it was the way we lost."
Added Walman: "It's not just physicality but compete. When we're competing, we're a good team and we can play with anybody. That's what we have to show."
The Wings had been so effective on special teams leading into these two games against Ottawa, but struggled against the Senators.
Tuesday, the Wings were scoreless on eight power-play attempts, while Ottawa scored two goals on six attempts.
Ottawa also outshot the Wings 27-17.
The complexion of Tuesday's game turned after Watson's short-handed goal gave the Senators the lead for good.
Stutzle's penalty-shot goal matched Kubalik's goal, but got the Senators' fans and bench re-energized.
On the power play, Filip Hronek's attempted blind drop pass slid through a pair of Wings and landed on Watson's stick, who scored on a breakaway against besieged goaltender Ville Husso.
Goals from Watson and DeBrincat, 23 seconds apart, cemented the outcome.
Lalonde talked about what the Wings need to do to regain the type of game they play to be successful.
"Our attitude, compete, win some battles and races (to pucks)," Lalonde said. "A little more engaged."
The Wings may have also suffered some bad news on the injury front.
Hronek only played eight minutes, and none after the middle of the second period, the Wings announcing after the second period Hronek was out for the remainder of the evening with an upper-body injury.
