Senators' Karlsson: 'We should be very proud' of late-season run

Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson believes his teammates shouldn't hang their heads after a first-round defeat at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens.

"For our team, for what we had in here, I think we had a great season," Karlsson told reporters Monday. "We should be happy with where we are."

The Senators went 14-3-3 over their last 20 regular-season games, clinching the first Eastern Conference wild card spot with 99 points.

"Looking back, we shouldn't really have been in the playoffs to begin with," Karlsson said. "The run we made was unbelievable and a lot of fun. Everybody grew enormously from that. That's what we've got to carry on going into next season."

After the Canadiens jumped out to a 3-0 series lead, Ottawa won the next two games to force a sixth, but lost 2-0 on Sunday.

"We'd like to keep the series going and going back to Montreal but we wish them all they best," the defenseman said. "They did a better job than we did in six games."

Karlsson said the way the season ended shouldn't put a damper on the progress the club made to get there.

"We should be very proud of the fact that we put in the work into getting where we are today."

The Senators have plenty of reasons to be positive. 

Craig Anderson was stellar after replacing Andrew Hammond as the starting goaltender in Game 3. Calder Trophy nominee Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman and Mika Zibanejad all had encouraging seasons.

Karlsson was nominated for the Norris Trophy after playing in all 82 regular-season games and racking up 66 points.

"Even though it didn't end the way we wanted, it's a learning experience and it's fun to (play in) the playoffs," he said. 

"Now, everybody here knows that. We want to come back and do the same thing next year and be even better. Everybody in here has really enjoyed their time throughout this year."