Oilers 2, Wild 1 (SO)
Dany Heatley tied the game with a half-second left in the third period and Matt Cullen had the lone goal in the shootout as the Minnesota Wild stunned the host Edmonton Oilers 2-1 Thursday night.
Following a wild finish in regulation, the Wild seized control of the sudden-death format when Cullen lifted a backhand past Oilers netminder Nikolai Khabibulin and into the top of the net. Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom did his part, stopping Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins before Edmoton's final shooter, Eric Belanger, rang his shot off the post.
Minnesota has now beaten the Oilers in nine straight meetings, including a pair of 2-1 shootout triumphs this season.
With the clock ticking down on an Edmonton shutout, Heatley fired a desperation shot from a bad angle that trickled between Khabibulin's left pad and the post before dropping into the net.
Ryan Jones opened the scoring for Edmonton, converting a feed from Ryan Smyth on the doorstep with 3:54 remaining in the opening period. It was the second goal in the past three games for Jones, who set a career high with 18 last season.
Khabibulin and Backstrom both stopped 30 shots in regulation and overtime.
Minnesota forward Mikko Koivu survived a scare midway through the third period after he was nicked under the chin by Heatley's skate. Koivu rushed off the ice with blood dripping from his neck and was stitched up in the dressing room.