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‘It’s embarrassing': Spezza blasts Sens after allowing eight vs. Rangers

Ottawa Senators v New Jersey Devils

NEWARK, NJ - DECEMBER 18: Jason Spezza #19 of the Ottawa Senators skates against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on December 18, 2013 in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Senators 5-2. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Bruce Bennett

Ottawa captain Jason Spezza has been pretty vocal about his team lately and, on Tuesday, that trend continued.

“It’s embarrassing,” Spezza said after the Sens were routed 8-4 by the Rangers, per the Sun. “That was a must-win game for us.

“To give up eight is unacceptable. It’s been the same thing all year for us. (This) was a microcosm of a lot of things.”

It’s likely Spezza was referring to Ottawa’s dreadful second period effort. While the shots were close -- 17 for the Rangers, 16 for the Sens -- it was New York that scored all the goals, including three in a four-minute span late in the frame. Benoit Pouliot, John Moore and Ryan McDonagh scored the markers, which all but deflated a Sens team that came into the second period up 2-1.

But back to Spezza for a minute.

The veteran center, in his first year as Ottawa’s captain, has talked quite a bit about his team’s disappointing campaign recently. Earlier in the week he admitted the Sens’ playoff picture ‘is not looking good,’ claiming he was ‘frustrated’ with a weekend effort in which they only mustered one point from losses to Montreal and Colorado.

As such, it’ll be interesting to see what the future has in store for the 30-year-old. Next year will be the last of Spezza’s seven-year, $49 million deal, one that carries an average annual cap hit of $7 million. His name popped up in trade rumors back at the Mar. 5 deadline and one has to wonder if they’ll surface again at the NHL Entry Draft in June.