Senators owner Eugene Melnyk is backing general manager Bryan Murray and coach Cory Clouston. Melnyk dismissed questions about the future of Murray and Clouston. Both are in the final year of their contracts, but Melnyk is "very, very optimistic" the Senators will be fine. "Everybody says, 'How safe? Depending on what record?' " said Melnyk. "If we win the next three you're all not going to talk about that. The bottom line is: Cory is a hard-working guy. He's extremely focused and he knows what he needs to do. The same with Bryan. (He's) a very focused guy. I've never met somebody that is so intense when it comes to watching every single play." Ottawa is 11-12-1, having lost six of their last ten, and trails Montreal by eight points in the Northeast Division.