Slumping Senators aim to get right vs. Sidney Crosby, Penguins

A coaching change hasn't provided the intended spark for the Ottawa Senators, who have lost six straight games going into a home game Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Senators have lost two in a row since Jacques Martin replaced D.J. Smith as coach.

They are coming off a 6-4 loss Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche in which they blew a two-goal lead by allowing four unanswered goals.

"It's hard to look at positives right now," Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk said. "It's a pretty (crappy) feeling. Don't think I've ever felt worse in my life. It's not fun right now."

Tkachuk, who led his team with nine shots against Colorado but had no points and was minus-2, feels a strong sense of responsibility. He leads his team with 14 goals and is fifth with 21 points, but he has only a goal and an assist and is minus-7 over his past eight games.

"At the end of the day, it kind of starts with me as a leader," he said. "I've got to do a better job individually. I'm not there. I'm not playing where I need to be playing, and I feel like it's trickling down. It's on me."

Martin let his team off the hook by pointing to a few positives from Thursday's loss.

"In the second and third period, I really liked what I saw. ... We did some good things," he said. "We were better on the forecheck and moving the puck."

It was Colorado's star who did in the Senators Thursday. Nathan MacKinnon had four goals, including two in that four-goal run.

After facing MacKinnon, the Senators must contend with MacKinnon's good friend and fellow Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia native Sidney Crosby.

Crosby, at 36, continues to be Pittsburgh's heartbeat, its captain and best player.

"You can look at different things, but as a player, as a whole, he's still No. 1,"