3 least impressive Ottawa Senators players from 5-2 to Buffalo Sabres feat. Linus Ullmark 

The Ottawa Senators dropped a disappointing 5-2 game to the last-place Buffalo Sabres on Monday night at Canadian Tire Centre. With the win, the Sabres have now won five of their last six. Meanwhile, the Senators have now lost two in a row.

Claude Giroux and Jake Sanderson got the goals for the Senators. As for the Sabres, Peyton Krebs, Alex Tuch, Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson and Ryan McLeod (SHG) scored the goals.

Here's a closer look at the three least impressive Ottawa Senators players from their loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night.

3 least impressive Ottawa Senators players from 5-2 loss to Buffalo Sabres

#3. Dylan Cozens

Dylan Cozens joined the Ottawa Senators in a trade deadline deal with the Sabres. He’s played well since joining the Sens, scoring three goals and adding six assists in 12 games.

However, Cozens had a rough outing against this former team, failing to score in 17:18 of ice time. Despite getting over four minutes of power play time, Cozens managed just two shots on goal.

Cozens also registered a minus-4 on the night, underscoring his lack of defensive game.

A good example came on Dahlin’s goal:

The replay showed Cozens skating around the front of the net, unable to pick anyone up. Once the shot came from the point, Cozens screened his own goaltender. The lackluster performance is something he and the team will need to work on as they head into the postseason.

#2. Drake Batherson

Drake Batherson was another Ottawa Senators player who had a rough outing against Buffalo. Batherson skated in over 18 minutes of ice time, getting one shot on goal despite playing nearly four minutes of power play time.

However, the worst number in Batherson’s stat line was his minus-5 rating on the night.

Here’s a look at Batherson’s lack of defensive responsibility:

In this sequence, Batherson skates around his own zone, failing to pick up anyone. By the time the puck hits Alex Tuch’s stick, Batherson can be seen circling the blue line, lacking any sort of direction on the play.

The goal set the tone for the Senators’ game on Monday night.

#1. Linus Ullmark

It’s hard to blame Senators starting netminder Linus Ullmark for the team’s defeat. After all, when there is a lack of defensive support in front of a goaltender, it makes the goalie’s job that much harder.

However, Ullmark faced just 21 shots on Monday night. He surrendered four goals, hardly looking like the former Vezina Trophy winner of two seasons ago.

While the Senators failed to play solid defense in front of Ullmark, one or two key saves could have kept the game close enough for the Sens to come back. But that was not the case, and the Senators dropped the game at home.

The Senators will look to bounce back when they host division rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, next on Thursday.