The Ottawa Senators are going in the wrong direction right now. On Thursday, they 
dropped a 5-1 decision to the Minnesota Wild and are 2-4-3 in their last nine games.
“We’re not getting help anywhere,” Senators forward Bobby Ryan said. “All the points are accumulating. Luckily, we’ve built ourselves a bit of a cushion, but you want to hit your stride … going into the playoffs.
“On the bright side, we’ve got six games to turn that around and get back to the Sens brand of hockey that’s made us successful.”
The loss means they are clear of the Toronto Maple Leafs by two points and three points clear of the Boston Bruins for the race for second in the Atlantic Division.
Alex Stalock made 18 saves for the Wild to get twin, their first in four games.
“Well, I hope it’s not the culmination. I hope we keep building; it’s one game,” Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau said. “It was good to get a win at home. We hadn’t won here in four games or five games and the fans are so great cheering us on. It was nice to reward them with a win.”
The Senators held a 1-0 lead on a goal from Mike Hoffman .
Nino Niederreiter scored less than a minute later to tie it up and the Wild went on to score four more goals to get their ship righted for one day at least.
Niederreiter scored again to make it 2-1 with just over seven minutes gone n the middle frame.
Joel Eriksson Ek, Matt Dumba and Jason Pominville also scored for the Wild
“I think our first period was good,” Ottawa coach Guy Boucher said. “I think the minute they got that second goal there, we didn’t look good after. … I know we [have] injuries, but the guys that were in the lineup are able to play better than that.”
WATCH: All Senators vs. Wild highlights
Craig Anderson took the loss on 21 saves.
“He’s our best player, hands down, there’s no questions asked about that,” Anderson said. “But at the same time it’s an opportunity for other guys to play minutes and make plays.”
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