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It was a strong performance from the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night, but the team ultimately ran into a dialed in Cam Ward who stole two points on the road for the Carolina Hurricanes. Ward turned aside 45 shots from the Sens and gave them a chance to win a game they did not lead until Jay Harrison potted the game winner in overtime.

All in all, Sens fans can't be too disappointed with a goaltender stealing a win against them. Craig Anderson has had Ottawa on the other side of those decisions all season long. There are plenty of positives to be taken from the team's performance, it was simply a matter of just not having the puck go in when they needed it.

Coach MacLean's post-game comments reflected the team's positive play. They played with pace in all three zones but ultimately couldn't convert good possession and shots on goal into goals. Mike Lundin played well in his Sens debut and should see a bigger role going forward as the team looks to rely less heavily on the Karlsson-Methot pairing which has fared well with big minutes.

Here's a Twitter rundown of MacLean's comments:

Thoughts from Coach MacLean coming up...

— Ottawa Senators (@NHL_Sens) February 8, 2013

Thought the game was a good pace and Cam Ward was the difference.

— Ottawa Senators (@NHL_Sens) February 8, 2013

He liked the way Mike Lundin played. Eased him into the lineup with 19 minutes and should be good to go moving forward.

— Ottawa Senators (@NHL_Sens) February 8, 2013

Wants the team to continue generating offence. Coach thought they generated tonight with 47 shots, just didn't score.

— Ottawa Senators (@NHL_Sens) February 8, 2013

The team's goal going forward is to "rise as the league rises." The next step: greater consistency. #Sens

— Ottawa Senators (@NHL_Sens) February 8, 2013

For those of you who are more inclined towards audio, you can listen to coach talk about the Sens play in the loss here on this page.