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ST. LOUIS — The goal the rest of the way for the Ottawa Senators is pretty simple and straightforward.

“Make the playoffs and go,” winger Bobby Ryan said Monday.

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Hard to find anybody who would disagree with that approach.

As the Senators open the second half of the season Tuesday night against the St. Louis Blues at the Scottrade Center, coach Guy Boucher tried to prepare them for what will be a long road to earn a playoff spot.

Before they hit the ice at the Canadian Tire Centre for an hour skate, Boucher told the players in their daily meeting he was pleased with the effort in a 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, but if Senators are going to make the post-season, they need to be ready for the grind ahead.

The Senators will play 24 games on the road before the end of the year— starting with this three-game trip — so Ottawa players had better be ready for the difficult task if there’s going to be playoff hockey in the spring.