from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,

The Ottawa Senators woke up Thursday morning in a frightful three-way tie on points with both the New York Rangers and Islanders, just two points clear of the danger spot held by Winnipeg.

For so much of the season, it was about fifth place for the Senators.

That comfy spot is now gone for good, the rival Toronto Maple Leafs five points ahead with just over two weeks to go in the regular season. They've lost the opening four games of a 7-game road trip, and lost 5 in row overall, starting with a home loss to Toronto.

Now it’s about survival for a Senators team that has lost five straight heading into crucial, crucial games Thursday night at Philadelphia and Friday night at New Jersey.

If they don’t stop the bleeding over the next two nights, they could be on the outside looking in come Saturday morning. And that would be a travesty for a team that has defied all odds in surviving the losses of its top players early in the season.

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