A week after former Senators head coach John Paddock said he should have done things differently with his wayward goaltender while he was still behind the bench, Ray Emery broke his silence.

Ottawa's 'on again, off again' No. 1 netminder expressed some remorse on Monday, shouldering some of the blame for Paddock's dismissal.

"I was upset," he told reporters on Monday. "I felt bad because I felt like I kind of affected someone else's life or job or whatever. It's a business and that stuff happens. He was a guy that I had as a coach for six years and was a big part of my pro hockey career."

For Emery, that career has been one on hold recently.

The young netminder who guided Ottawa to the Stanley Cup Final last spring has been relegated to watching Martin Gerber start the last five games. Gerber will make his season-high sixth straight start on Tuesday when the Senators host the Boston Bruins.

The team has gone with Gerber in goal in all but on game since General Manager Bryan Murray returned behind the bench on Feb. 27. With Emery on the bench for most nights, Murray dismissed any thoughts of a problem in goal.

"There is no controversy and (Gerber) is playing tomorrow night," he told reporters on Monday. "I think he played pretty well early. To go out and play four games in a row at the level he played at, it's real positive for us."

Despite a 1-2-1 record on the team's Western road trip last week and just two wins in his last five starts, Gerber has been the Senators' best player lately. And Emery shares that statement wholeheartedly.

"Gerbs has played well," he said Monday. "I think the team's starting to play better and that's all that matters."

While Murray said he will continue with Gerber in goal, he stopped short of naming him the team's No. 1 option for the postseason. But with a dozen games remaining in the regular season and the team trying to re-find its groove while chasing New Jersey, Pittsburgh and Montreal in playoff positioning, the signs appear to point towards the Swiss netminder.

"As a goalie you want to get as many games as possible in a row," Gerber told reporters on Monday. "It definitely helps if you can stay in there and work on things. I'll try anything I can to make it happen and that's all I can do."

Files from TSN Ottawa Reporter Brent Wallace were used for this report.