EDMONTON, Alberta (Interstat) — The Minnesota Wild delivered a decisive 7-3 road victory over the Edmonton Oilers in NHL action Saturday night at Rexall Place. Minnesota established control early, taking a 2-2 tie after the first period before erupting for three unanswered goals in the second. The Wild added two more in the third to seal the win before an announced crowd of 18,347. Goaltender Jesper Wallstedt backstopped the win with 39 saves on 42 shots. Quinn Hughes, named the game’s top star, anchored the offense with a goal and an assist. Mats Zuccarello, Brock Faber, Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov each recorded multiple points for Minnesota. Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jack Roslovic scored for the Oilers. The loss dropped Edmonton to a .500 record at 28-28, while Minnesota improved to 32-24.

EDMONTON, Alberta (Interstat) — The Minnesota Wild delivered a decisive and thorough road performance, overwhelming the Edmonton Oilers 7-3 on Saturday night at Rexall Place. Fueled by a relentless offensive attack and a 39-save effort from goaltender Jesper Wallstedt, the Wild snapped a brief two-game skid and improved their record to 32-24. The Oilers, meanwhile, fell back to .500 at 28-28 in a game where their defensive struggles were glaring. The outcome defied pregame projections, as statistical models and betting markets heavily favored Edmonton, which entered as a 1.5-goal favorite. The game began at a frantic pace, with the Oilers striking first. Leon Draisaitl capitalized on a Minnesota turnover, firing a wrist shot past Wallstedt just 3 minutes and 16 seconds into the first period to give Edmonton an early 1-0 lead. Minnesota responded swiftly on the power play. Just over three minutes later, with Edmonton’s Curtis Lazar serving a high-sticking penalty, Joel Eriksson Ek finished a precise passing sequence. He converted a feed from Quinn Hughes, who had received a rare secondary assist from Wallstedt, to tie the game at 6:15. Edmonton regained the lead less than two minutes later when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins deflected a Connor McDavid shot past Wallstedt at 8:01. The Wild, however, would seize control before the period ended. With Oilers forward Zach Hyman in the box for goaltender interference, Minnesota’s top line went to work. In the final minute of the period, Kirill Kaprizov buried a wrist shot off assists from Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello, sending the teams to the intermission tied at 2. The second period belonged entirely to Minnesota. The Wild needed just 35 seconds to take their first lead of the night. Off an offensive zone faceoff win, Ryan Hartman found Zuccarello, who snapped a shot past Oilers starter Tristan Jarry to make it 3-2. The Wild extended their lead midway through the period on a blast from the point. Defenseman Quinn Hughes hammered a slap shot through traffic for a power-play goal at 4:29, assisted by Brock Faber. Minnesota then put the game out of reach late in the frame. Vladimir Tarasenko finished a sharp passing play with Marcus Foligno and Danila Yurov, beating Jarry with a wrist shot at 10:40 to give the Wild a commanding 5-2 lead after two periods. Jarry was replaced by Connor Ingram to start the third period, but the change did little to stem the tide. Minnesota continued to press, and Tyler Pitlick, a Minneapolis native, redirected a Vincent Hinostroza feed past Ingram at 7:42 of the third to extend the lead to 6-2. Edmonton managed a consolation goal when Jack Roslovic scored at 16:43, but Minnesota defenseman Brock Faber answered just over five minutes later, roofing a wrist shot at 17:17 to complete the 7-3 rout. Wallstedt was a cornerstone of the victory, turning aside 39 of 42 shots, including several high-danger chances from the Oilers’ star-laden top line. His counterpart, Jarry, stopped 15 of 20 shots before his removal. The Wild’s offense was a balanced effort, with seven different players scoring goals. Hughes, named the game’s top star, led the way with a goal and an assist, continuing his strong recent play. Zuccarello (goal, assist), Eriksson Ek (goal, assist), Faber (goal, assist), Hartman (assist), Kaprizov (goal), and Pitlick (goal) all recorded multi-point nights for Minnesota. For Edmonton, Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins and Roslovic scored, while McDavid was held off the scoresheet aside from his first-period assist. The Oilers’ penalty kill allowed two goals on three Minnesota opportunities, while their power play went 0-for-2. The announced attendance was 18,347 at Rexall Place. The Wild return home to face the Montreal Canadiens on Monday. The Oilers continue their homestand Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Oilers, Wild Set for Showdown at Rexall Place EDMONTON, Alberta (Interstat) — The Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild, two Western Conference teams jockeying for playoff position, will clash Saturday night at Rexall Place. The Wild (31-24-0) enter with a three-point edge over the Oilers (28-27-0) in the standings. Minnesota is coming off a 4-1 home victory over Calgary on Thursday, while Edmonton earned a 4-3 overtime win against San Jose the same night. A key matchup will be Minnesota goaltender Filip Gustavsson against Edmonton’s high-powered offense, led by Leon Draisaitl. Gustavsson has been strong lately, posting a 4-1-0 record in his last five starts with a .925 save percentage, including 29 saves on 30 shots against the Flames. Draisaitl, however, is on a tear with 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in his last eight games. He had a goal and two assists in the win over San Jose. The season series favors Minnesota, which has won both meetings this season: a 5-2 victory in St. Paul on Dec. 20 and a 1-0 shutout in Edmonton on Dec. 2. The Oilers have shown offensive firepower recently, averaging 4.4 goals per game over their last five contests (3-1-1). Beyond Draisaitl, Connor McDavid (1-1—2 last game) and defenseman Evan Bouchard (1-2—5 in last two games) are rolling. Minnesota counters with a more inconsistent recent stretch (5-4-1 in last 10) but has found ways to win close games, with three overtime victories in that span. Kirill Kaprizov, who had a goal and an assist Thursday, leads their attack. According to National Statistical’s game simulator, the projected final score is Edmonton 3, Minnesota 2. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. MST. The Oilers continue a brief homestand Tuesday against Toronto. The Wild return home to host Montreal on Monday.