Play of netminders leads Senators to fire goaltending coach Eli Wilson

Eli Wilson (right) works with former Ottawa Senators goalie Ray Emery in this file photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

OTTAWA - The Ottawa Senators fired goaltending coach Eli Wilson on Wednesday.

"Performance of the goaltenders in the organization had everything to do with it," Senators general manager Bryan Murray said in a release. "I think Eli was a hard worker and paid a lot of attention to it but for some reason, both at the NHL level and American league level, we felt that the goaltenders weren't where we thought they were going to be and where they have shown they can be."

The Senators (22-21-4) have lost five games in a row. Entering Wednesday night's games, Ottawa is tied for eighth place in the NHL's Eastern Conference with 48 points.

Wilson, 32, joined the Senators in August 2007. The native of Maple Ridge, B.C., previously spent four seasons with the Western Hockey League's Medicine Hat Tigers.

There was no immediate word on a replacement.