LOS ANGELES

For most of the season, and probably with good reason, Colin Greening had coaches losing faith in him.

First it was Paul MacLean, then Dave Cameron, who more often than not made him the Senators designated sitter.

Luke Richardson was different.

Sure, Greening was going from the NHL, where he has 249 games of experience, to the AHL. But Richardson, the coach of the Binghamton Senators, didn't just play Greening, he gave him important roles.

As a result, Greening scored five goals and two assists in 12 games, and now he's back in the NHL feeling better about himself.

"Someone once told me, you've got to take a step back to take a few steps forward," said Greening, who will sit in the press box as the Senators 13th forward Wednesday night. "When I went down, Luke really showed a lot of confidence in me and allowed me to play PK and PP, and that's important to get my confidence back."

And it's that confidence Greening plans to take with him if and when he does get a chance to play with the big club again. Starting with holding on to the puck more.

"When I was playing before I wasn't confident with the puck and I maybe threw it away a bit too much," said Greening. "I'm big and strong, be physical. I wasn't showing that confidence and patience early in the year.

"It's good to be back on the road with the guys. It's a special trip for everyone.

"When I went down to Binghamton I had a good attitude, it was a learning lesson for me and I think I played well down there. I have an opportunity ahead of me now, and I will try to make the most of it."

Twitter: @sundonib