Ottawa ? When the Ottawa Senators ended their players-only meeting Sunday, Daniel Alfredsson couldn’t wait to address the group of reporters gathered in the locker room.

“You ready?” the Ottawa captain asked, standing in front of his stall.

The real question: Are the Senators ready?

Ottawa faces elimination for the first time this postseason, trailing New Jersey 3-1 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals, with Game 5 tonight at Ottawa.

Alfredsson has been held to one assist against the Devils and was in the penalty box when New Jersey scored twice in its 5-2 victory Saturday. He put it upon himself to improve his play.

“I need to. There’s no question about it,” he said. “I can’t look back.”

And neither can the Senators, stymied by a more poised and opportunistic opponent. Ottawa’s current three-game losing streak matches their longest slide of the entire season.

“We haven’t been good enough,” Alfredsson said. “There’s no way around it. And we know that we have to get better. That’s the challenge for us.”

Ottawa also faces the challenge of overcoming its troubled playoff past. It is in the conference finals for the first time in their 11-year history, thanks to beating the New York Islanders in five games and Philadelphia in six.

But the Senators are 0-6 in games in which they’ve faced elimination. The Devils, in comparison, have never lost a series — 8-0 all-time — when holding a 3-1 lead.

Those are trends the Senators will be hard-pressed to reverse, considering the way New Jersey’s playing.

The Devils are getting timely goals from role players: Checking forward Jay Pandolfo leads the team with three goals and five points against Ottawa. Goaltender Martin Brodeur allowed a mere three goals on the last 83 shots he’s faced.

Ottawa senators players, from left, Bryan Smolinski, Todd White and Karel Rachunek, sit on the bench at the end of their Eastern Conference finals game against New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Senators, 5-2, Saturday night in East Rutherford, N.J. Game 5 is tonight in Ottawa.

“I guess we have taken control,” captain Scott Stevens said. “We are in pretty good shape, but we know that team is capable of putting a good string together and winning some games.”

The Devils, who won the Stanley Cup in 2000, are on the verge of their third league finals in four years.

Anaheim awaits, having swept Minnesota in the Western Conference finals.

The Devils are making sure not to look too far ahead; the Senators, meanwhile, have several problems.

Their top offensive players — Alfredsson, Marian Hossa, Martin Havlat and Todd White — have combined for a goal and three assists.

Ottawa’s defense has unraveled, allowing 10 goals in the last three games. Curiously, this came after the Senators set an NHL playoff record in allowing two or fewer goals in 11 straight games — a span in which they gave up a combined 16 goals.

“I can stand for my actions. I know what happened,” said Senators goalie Patrick Lalime, who allowed a playoff-high five goals on 20 shots in Game 4. “When it goes your way, it’s good. And when it goes bad, you just want to bounce back from it.”

Curtis Leschyshyn said that the Senators — who finished with the league’s best regular-season record — hadn’t played their best game.

“It would be one thing if you’ve played your best the entire series and you’re down 3-1,” Leschyshyn said. “But we haven’t played our best. We’re capable of beating anyone in the league, and that’s the way we feel right now.”