Players hold meeting after Wild's fifth straight loss

It appears the frustration level is rising.

After the Wild's 5-4 loss here in Winnipeg tonight, there was a players-only meeting. Coach Bruce Boudreau, dealing with the first five-game losing streak of his coaching career, had a brief, 28-second post-game news conference. Here is what he had to say:

He was asked if the second period—when the Wild rallied from down four goals to tie the game -- was something he could be encouraged by. "Well, you know, this isn't a good day,'' he said. "Because I'm going to say something stupid. So I don't want to answer that question.''

He was then asked if that second-period rally was a sign of the team's resilience. "Hey listen, he said. "We stunk in the first. We'd better come back in the second. Holy crap, it's not resiliency. You're making us sound like we're good. I'm done.''

And with that, he walked away.

The Wild again had numerous defensive breakdowns early while falling behind 4-0. Then the team was, frankly, stupendous for the final 15 minutes of the second period, and for the final minutes of the third.

But it wasn't enough.

--Chris Steward had his first two-goal game since December of 2013. And he almost had a third goal, early in the third period, when he had the puck and a nearly open net. But a Jets defenseman got his stick in the way of the shot. This was the first time this season the Wild has lost in regulation when Stewart scores a goal. The team is now 10-1-1 in such games.

--Mikael Granlund scored his 25^th goal tonight. He has 16 points in his last 15 games.

--Eric Staal played in his 1,000^th NHL game tonight. He became the 311^th player to do that, and the fifth to do it while wearing a Wild sweater.