"I thought they were determined," said Wild coach Bruce Boudreau. "It was like, 'We aren't letting this happen again.' And I thought the last 10 minutes we played really good and really smarted."
Minnesota will carry a seven-game points streak into the game on Friday, its longest such span since an eight-game streak between Feb. 21 and March 7 of last season (6-0-2).
It will also carry a seven-game points streak on home ice into the contest. The Wild hasn't lost in regulation at Xcel Energy Center since the home opener on Oct. 12 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, compiling a record of 5-0-2 during that span.
A victory Friday would get the Wild back to .500 on the season. While that is not where the team wants to be, considering the team's 1-6-0 start to the season, as well as its road heavy schedule, getting back to even has been one of the Wild's goals over the past few weeks.
"That definitely would feel better for sure," said Wild forward Eric Staal. "I think we've worked hard to get a chance at it here and tomorrow is that opportunity. Then obviously, we need to build from there. But it starts with getting back to that mark, then moving forward."
Ottawa is playing the front end of back-to-back games on Friday; the Senators will continue on to Calgary, where it will play on Saturday night.