Jared Cowen played the role of spectator again Saturday night at Canadian Tire Centre.

How much longer will this go on?

The Senators' defenceman was scratched for the fourth straight game as Patrick Wiercioch remained in the lineup and coach Paul MacLean made it clear he doesn't foresee putting Cowen back in the lineup until he deserves it.

"The six players who are playing now have played pretty well. When do we make a change in our lineup? We discuss it and evaluate it on a nightly game-by-game basis but right now the six that are playing have played well," said MacLean Saturday.

"Jared right now is in a game of patience. It's not something he's used to in his career but this is something we feel he has to go through. The guys that are in the lineup deserve to stay in the lineup and not just get replaced because Jared Cowen isn't in the lineup. Is Jared an important player for us? Yes, he is, but he has to be one of the best players for us to get him in the lineup."

With a cap hit of $3.1 million, the Senators aren't going to let Cowen sit forever and the possibility does exist he could play Sunday night in Chicago with back-to-back games on the schedule.

Senators GM Bryan Murray has had several calls on Cowen because the club has eight defencemen on the roster. At this juncture, the Senators don't want to deal the 23-year-old Cowen.

MacLean believes Cowen needs to get his act together because he has enough experience that he shouldn't be given the chance to play through his struggles like he would have been before.

"He has to work on his game. A young player lots of times you keep in the lineup and say it's growing pains, it's growing pains and you keep him in," said MacLean.

"We've done that for Jared in the past. Now you're not a young player anymore so we need to have you work on things, specific things, that are going to make you a better player, not only down the road, but for today. That's the process. This isn't something he's used to.

"As a young player we keep putting you in the lineup and giving you an opportunity to play through it. You're not a young player anymore so you don't get to play through it, you have to be better than the guy that's out there. You've got to earn your way."

Twitter: @sungarrioch