DJ Smith stews on the Senators bench after botch from Tim Stutzle.

DJ Smith may have been left out to dry by one of his top stars on Saturday in what is quickly turning into an ugly game for the Ottawa Senators.

Smith, whom some believe is currently on the hot seat after a 6-9-1 start to the 2022-23 regular season, looked visibly uncomfortable near the end of the second period when a series of mistakes from young Senators star Tim Stutzle lead to a shorthanded goal from the New Jersey Devils.

The Senators were already down 3-1 in the second period against a red hot New Jersey Devils squad when a mistake at the blue line from Stutzle would go all the way back the other way. It would be Devils forward Yegor Sharangovich who would capitalize on the mistake from Stutzle at the blue, moving the puck up the ice for the Devils, before scoring the eventual shorthander himself at the other end of the ice.

Sharangovich was left wide open in the middle of the ice after Stutzle glided back into his own end while shorthanded, in spite of the fact that he very much would have had time to cover the Devils forward. Those mistakes would give the Devils a 4-1 lead, and would make the Senators coach look very uncomfortable behind the bench.

Here's a look at the play itself:

And here's a look at how Smith reacted behind the bench:

The Senators had a good bit of hype behind their team after a relatively active offseason that saw the team add some big names like goaltender Cam Talbot, forward Alex DeBrincat, and of course former Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux. There was an expectation that the team would elevate itself to playoff status but after a poor start to the season that has not been the case thus far.

Given the Senators' seemingly successful offseason, much of the blame for the team's poor overall performance this season has fallen at the feet of the aforementioned DJ Smith. Smith is a first time National Hockey League head coach, having previously served as a head coach at the Ontario Hockey League level with the Oshawa Generals, with his only previous NHL experience coming as an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Despite assurances from Senators general manager Pierre Dorion, many believe that Smith remains on the hot seat and the effort put forward by his players today certainly won't be doing him any favors in that regard.