Oilers 2, Wild 1
SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- Connor McDavid's goal in the latter half of the third period helped the Edmonton Oilers deal a blow to the Minnesota Wild's playoff hopes via a 2-1 victory Thursday.
It was a rare win versus Minnesota for the Oilers (27-36-7) who have won four of their last 26 meetings with the Wild. Lauri Korpikoski scored an early goal for Edmonton, which got 29 saves from Cam Talbot en route to its second victory in three games and fifth in the last seven.
The Wild (31-27-10) got a goal from Zach Parise but remain two points back of the Colorado Avalanche in the quest for the final playoff spot in the West. With Devan Dubnyk sidelined by an illness, Darcy Kuemper got the start in goal for the Wild and had 23 saves as Minnesota lost its second consecutive home game.
The game was tied 1-1 with less than eight minutes to play when McDavid -- last summer's top draft pick -- sailed up the left side of the ice. Fighting off a check from Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon, McDavid got a rising shot off that glanced off Kuemper's left arm and bounced into the net. It was the 14th goal of the season for McDavid, who has averaged better than a point per game in his 33 rookie season outings.
Edmonton failed to score on the game's first power play, but made it 1-0 seconds after Minnesota got back to full strength. Mark Letestu's shot on goal from the half-wall hit Kuemper squarely in the pads but produced a sizable rebound. Korpikoski crashed in between the circles and was able to slide a backhand shot between the post and the goalie's left skate.
Minnesota also failed to score on its first power play near the midway point of the second period, but managed to tie the game a few minutes later. On a faceoff to Talbot's left, the dropped puck went off Oilers center Leon Draisaitl's skate and right to Parise. The Wild alternate captain took one stride toward the slot and popped off a wrist shot that eluded Talbot's glove. It snapped a string of 18 games in which Parise had scored only once.
The Wild power play was 0-for-3 in the period, and survived a scare when a turnover sprung McDavid on a breakaway, but Kuemper's right pad save kept the game knotted 1-1 after 40 minutes.
NOTES: Wild LW Jason Pominville missed the morning skate and had to be scratched from the lineup because of a pulled leg muscle, ending his ironman streak of 231 consecutive games. It was the second-longest streak in franchise history. ... Already thin on defense, the Oilers lost another blue-liner when the NHL handed a three-game suspension to Darnell Nurse. The discipline came after a late-game fight with San Jose D Roman Polak on Tuesday in a 3-0 home loss by the Oilers. Polak suffered a broken nose in the altercation. ... With starting G Devan Dubnyk out of the lineup because of illness, Minnesota recalled Steve Michalek from their Iowa AHL team to serve as the backup. Michalek played three seasons at Harvard and has a 6-2-0 record for Iowa this winter.