By BRUCE GARRIOCH -- Ottawa Sun
  Sergei Zholtok hit more posts in the Senators' playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres last year than he cares to count. 
 Call it bad luck. Call it whatever you want. If Zholtok had his choice, he might forget the whole experience. But he thought about it a lot last summer and he came to camp trying to put the past behind him. 
 Three games into the season, Zholtok has had no problem finding the net. He's scored twice. His biggest goal came last night midway through the second when he helped vault Ottawa to a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. 
 Playing in front of a packed house of 18,500 at the Corel Centre, Zholtok, 25, who has spent six seasons in the minors, fired a bullet by Trevor Kidd with 10:13 remaining in the second tie the game 2-2. 
 "I came into camp ready to have a good season," said Zholtok. "I worked hard in the summer. I knew I was going to come in and have a spot on the team. I didn't have to worry about being sent to the minors. 
 "It's a lot easier when you don't have to worry about being sent to the minors. I didn't have to worry about that other stuff. When you're worried going into camp, it can really bother you. 
 "I'm confident. I'm feeling good. I just want to play a regular shift. We've got a good system and it's going well." 
 Zholtok has been one of the Sens' key players. He had a good camp last year but didn't make his name known in Ottawa until he returned from the IHL's Las Vegas Thunder in December. 
 Since then, Zholtok has done a solid job. 
 He's got good skills. He's not huge but he uses his 6-foot-2 frame well. He's doing the little things right to make a player successful. He can kill penalties. He's solid defensively. He's been a complete player. 
 "(Zholtok's) been really good," said Senators assistant coach Perry Pearn. "He's moving the puck really well and he's doing a good job finding the open man. More important, he's working well five-on-five."